Breaking Away
by Firewalker711
Summary: The reality is, Gru would get into alot of trouble for crashing that rocket in the middle of the street! And with it being a homemade prototype that actually made it into space, you'd better believe NASA would want to buy it from him! For Gru and Nephario. . .this would be a dream come true! So why not celebrate by bonding with the girls and taking a much needed vacation!
1. Chapter 1

** The story takes place no less than a week after a Gru steals the moon. During this short period, he faced another roller coaster of unexpected anxieties! **

Having woke up one morning to a Server standing at his door with an assessment paper from the_Mayor_ himself! Gru was horrified to learn that he was getting sued by the city, for _2.5 million_ in damages for crashing his rocket in the street! The notice stated that if he didn't pay the fine within a month, he'd go to prison! And the timing from this couldn't have been more horrible. For he, Nephario, and the minions were flat broke, having sunk every dime into the rocket, which they were now threatening to scrap piece by piece! And what made matters worse was. . .that if Gru went to prison this time, he would lose the girls permanently. _(Who he made sure didn't have a clue to what was really going on.)_  
And just the thought of that made him sick to his stomach.

Meanwhile, the word of his homemade rocket made the headlines all over the world. Which began to attract _other_ interested parties.

Again. . .waking up to a firm knock on his door. Gru actually met Nephario in the living room, and slowly made his way to the door. Looking through the peephole, he felt his stomach turn to ice to the sight of two men in suits.  
Gulping, he choked out in a cracked voice. "These is it. . .I guess they couldn't wait a month. . ."  
Unlatching the door, he slowly opened it and faced the very thing he'd been dreading all week. Immediately, one of the two men asked,  
"Are you Felonious Gru?" Eyes rolling upward from his first name being pronounced, Gru sadly nodded. "Yes. . ."  
Now he noticed the way the guy looked toward the other fellow, then nodded. "Might we have a word with you privately, sir?"  
Somewhat confused, he nodded and replied, "Sure. . .come in."  
They hadn't even stepped inside when the taller of the two replied,  
"Sir. . .we're representatives from the Kennedy Space Center. . ."  
For a minute, Gru wasn't sure he heard him correctly. "W-What?"  
"I said. . .we're from _NASA_. . ."  
Now Gru found himself chuckling with disbelief. "Naw. . .Dis is a joke, right?"  
Not at all amused, the shorter one replied, "Sir, we never joke. Not when it comes to sophisticated aviation. And we heard about your rocket. . .and your _crises_." He stressed, as Gru looked away from him. "The Mayor allowed us to board your vessel, and I must say that I was absolutely amazed with the technology that was extremely advanced. . .but very basic. You had parts on that ship that come from your own _home_. . ."  
Rather mortified, Gru shrugged, "Ehh. . .Yes sir. We were a leetle strapped for money so. . .we used what we had."  
"But that's what makes it so unique. The fact that it still worked is ingenious."  
"Well. . . that doesn't really matter. " Gru irritably replied, as Nephario folded his arms with frustration. "Cause dey steel want to scrap it!" "  
"Yes, we know. And we can't have that. That's why we're here. We wanted to know if you'd be interested in selling it to us. . ."  
"_What_?!" they both chimed at the same time. Seeing the disbelieving looks on their faces, the man repeated,  
"I said, we'd like to buy your rocket. . .and we'd even be willing to move it off the street for you. ..at no extra charge. But. . .there is one catch."  
"Um-hmm. . .Here eet comes. . ." Gru muttered through his teeth.  
"We want the _rights_ too. With signed agreement stating that it's the only prototype, and that you no longer own it."  
"Meaning. . . that. . .you can design as many as you want without our say so?"  
"Exactly. . ." he stated, watching as Gru scoffed under his breath.  
"Dat's a little _steep_, isn't it?" Now the guy raised an eyebrow.  
"With all due respect, sir. So is _prison time_. . ."  
Actually insulted, Gru's arms folded in a defensive manner. "Oh, really?" Just as quickly, he felt Nephario elbow him in the ribs. "_What_?"  
"He's right. . ." he whispered, through his teeth. "Besides. .We can always design another ship."  
"But. . .dat's not de point!" Gru crossly muttered. Yet before he could finish, Nephario actually turned to him. "Gru! _Think_! If they want to at least cover your damages, then that's a good thing! Compared to what you had before, which was _nothing_. . .and what you could _lose_ if you don't!"  
No sooner did he say that did Gru began to sense that they were being watched. This caused his gaze to shift up, until he was focusing on the three girls who standing in the doorway of the living room, staring toward them with some confusion. As Agnes held onto her unicorn, the sight of this suddenly snapped Gru back to reality. Staring ahead, he realized exactly what Nephario meant. As of right now his stupid pride was about to cost him a way out of this nightmare! It had Gru looking at the man with regret.  
"My apologies. . ." he muttered, as the representative nodded with understanding.  
"That's no problem, sir. But. . .will you except the offer?"  
Staring ahead for a minute, a faint smile crept over Gru's face.  
"Yes. . . . .It's a deal." As Nephario grinned with satisfaction, Gru firmly shook the mans hand. "Splendid." he replied, opening up the briefcase.  
"Now. .. after touring over your rocket, we began breaking down everything from the inside-out, including the outer hull, the computer system, and the fuel tanks. . which we found very impressive. We began comparing it to our original equipment, and this is what we'd call a _Basic advanced prototype_. So here is the list broken down. . ." He said, as Gru now put on his tiny reading specs. "And this is the figure we come up with." The rep specified, now pointing to the 8 digit sum on the paper. Eyes widening, a high whimper escaped Gru's throat, causing Nephario to dart up to him with alarm.  
"What, Gru? What's. . ._Ohhh_, my word. . ." he muttered, when he gaped down at the numbers.  
Slowly Gru reached up until he was shakily pulling off his specs. "I. . .I don't believe dis. Are we reading this right? Because it says 65 million-"  
"Yes sir. We know this isn't the full cost of what you invested. But we wanted to pay you no less than half. Do you find that satisfactory?"  
Looking at Nephario, the two of them grunted, and started laughing.  
"_Satisfactory_? Dis. . .dis is _fantastic_!" Gru replied, as the man nodded with a smile on his face. "I mean. . .you had me at an advantage. So, I wasn't expecting to be paid dis much. . ."  
"_Sir_. . ." he cut off. "NASA doesn't cheat clients. Regardless of your present situation, both of you are still very talented, and should be compensated for your work."  
"Who knows. . ." the taller one added. "You two may work for NASA one day."  
This had Gru and Nephario looking at each other rather playfully. Simply because the representative didn't know that he was talking to two of the worlds most diabolical villains. Grinning at him, Gru playfully replied, "I seriously doubt that. . .But then again with me. . ._you never know_."

** Within the hour. . . **  
Gru, Nephario, and the girls found themselves in City Hall, sitting inside of the Mayors office. As they watched, the two agents walked inside carrying a silver briefcase, of what Gru knew was his money!  
Yet. . .there was one matter that still needed to be taken care of.  
Looking toward him, the NASA agent replied, "Mr. Gru. . ."  
Motioning the girls to stay, he stood up and walked to the desk. "You requested a cash? Correct?"  
"Yes. . ."  
"Well, here is a signed statement saying you received your payoff, minus the check cut out to the Mayor, for the damages to the city." He replied, as the Mayor nodded with approval. "Now if you'll just sign the bottom here, you'll be free to go." By then Gru's hand was trembling so much that he could barely get his name on the paper. Afterward, he shakily reached for the briefcase.  
"You can count it, if you want. . ." The agent replied.  
"No. . .No. I'll take your wurd for it. . ." he quickly replied. "Thank you, very much." Thereafter he nervously looked at the Mayor and nodded,  
"And again my apologies. . ."  
This had the Mayor leaning forward a bit. "If I were you, Sir. I'd use that brilliant streak of genius you've got, to do something a little less destructive, and more _productive_ . ." Now the Mayor watched as Gru turned and looked at the three girls, who all had smiles on their faces. Proudly looking back at him, he nodded and said, "Believe me, Sir. I intend to do just dat. . ."

But first. . .there was still _one more_ thing that needed to be settled. A final return to the very one who rejected him. . .The one who refused him the money for his rocket, who _dared_ say he was too old, when all the while the motives were to undermine and betray him with his own idea!  
For Gru. . .Perkins was about to get the surprise of his life. And this without a doubt would be the sweetest vindication ever!


	2. Chapter 2

**Sometime later. . . **  
Proudly Gru walked through the lobby of the bank until he reached the counter. From above, the secretary immediately recognized him, as he smugly grinned up at her. _(This is the same secretary in the movie. She has dark hair that's pinned up, and she wears specs.)_  
"Good morning, Miss. Jeanette. Gru to see Mr. Perkins. . ." he replied, causing her eyebrow to raise with some surprise.  
"You don't have an appointment. . ."  
"I know. . .But I have a _present_ for him. . ." he mimed, now lifting the briefcase up for her to see. "Can you guess what dis is?"  
Having dealt with Gru as a client over the past decade, she knew him rather well, having overheard everything that went on inside Perkins office. Including the insults, the humiliation, and the begging. But not this time.  
Giving Gru a pleased smirk, she reached down pressing the button on the intercom. "_Yes_. . ." Perkins staticy voice barked out.  
"Mr. Perkins. You have a visitor. . ."  
"_Who_?"  
"Mr. Gru. . ."  
"_**What**_?!" Now there was some hesitancy. "_Send him in_."

Upon his arrival in his office, one of the first things Gru noticed was that the apple Perkins normally carried around was actually sitting in the middle of his desk. Knowing without a doubt that he could no longer compare him to that apple, Gru sneered with satisfaction.  
"Well. . .well. . .well. . .Bet you never expected to see _me_ back here!"  
"Not particularly!" Perkins grumbled through his teeth. "What do you want, Gru?!"  
It was then that he whipped out a silver briefcase, and slammed it not too far from the apple.  
"What is this?" Without any hesitation, Gru opened it up, to reveal wads of folded up money!  
"A _payoff_!" he sarcastically replied, as Perkins eyes widened with disbelief. "Thanks to NASA buying _my_ rocket, here is everything I've borrowed from you over de past twenty years! You would've gotten more, had you not sold me out to Vector! But is dis is all you're gonna get!" As Perkins began to seeth with anger, Gru cockily folded his arms and said, "Use it to decorate your office. . .or better yet. . ._get your son off de moon_!"  
For a minute Gru could've sworn he saw the vein in stick out of Perkins forehead, as he scoffed with outrage. "How dare you speak to _me_ like that! Who do think you are?! Some big _hotshot_, now?! Well I got news for you, _Gru_. You're still nothing but a _has-been_, with three sniveling _brats_who are nothing but trouble!" Marveling at him, Gru suddenly felt something snap deep within him. And before Perkins knew was happening, he lunged forward slamming his fist down on the apple, until it splattered all over his thousand dollar suit!  
Caught off guard by Gru's sharp temper, Perkins nervously watched as he leaned over the desk, until he was shakily pointing a finger in his face, "Dere _my_ brats! And dere's gonna trouble for _you_if you ever talk about dem again! Cause eef you do, you're _face_ will look like dis apple! _Get de picture_?!" He angrily snapped, as Perkins apprehensively gulped. "Vector got what he desurved for keednapping dem! And so deed you. . .for trying to steel my idea!" With that he spun away and began to walk out of the room. Just before he got to the door, Gru gave Perkins one last glare. "So as far as I'm concerned, you can take your bank, your money, and your business. . .and _steek_ it! Because. . .I'm officially done here!"  
With that he spun away, and quickly walked out the room. Taking her finger off of the intercom button, Jeannette watched as Gru stormed passed her in an angry huff. Having heard the entire dispute, she just couldn't help herself. She was glad that somebody finally had the nerve to stand up to Perkins. "Hey. . ." she hissed, loud enough for Gru to glare at her over his shoulder. Giving him a nod, she replied, "Good for you. . ."  
For a minute, she saw a look of gratitude flash through the irate glare. Thereafter, he nodded and continued to storm out the lobby in an angry huff.  
All the way home the thoughts in Gru's mind replayed themselves over and over again. Over the past 72 hours he'd gone through a roller coaster of anxiety, fear, heartache, and now rage! Through it all. . .Gru began to realize that the worst part was actually over. Or so he thought! It was the incident that happened two days later, that broke the straw on the camels back!  
**Revision**  
Desperately trying to get back into his normal routine, Gru had taken off to get some plutonium for a new missile that he and Nephario had designed, before all the mayhem had taken place. Although he wanted to, Gru knew there was no way he could take the girls with him. After all the plutonium was radio active, and the pick up point was top secret. So he figured there was no harm in leaving the girls alone just for a little while. He knew the minions would watch them, and things would be just fine. But was he ever wrong!  
He was only gone an hour, when he drove up to the sight of a black car parked in front of his house! This reminded Gru of when the server brought him the papers from the Mayor, and he immediately became paranoid. Jumping out of his vehicle, he quickly headed for his house and opened the door, stunned to find himself staring at a strange man in a dark green suit, and a make-shift twin of _him_!  
Apparently. . .Margo had thrown on one of his long trench coats and a scarf, and had a minion stand on top of her shoulders. Shocked speechless, Gru watched as the nervous minion jumped off in a panic causing the twin impostor to be headless, and the stranger to faint in his arms! Seeing the clipboard in his hand Gru quickly grabbed it, shocked to find that this stranger was a social worker sent by the orphanage! On the bottom of the page he'd written, "_Suitable for children_." Causing Gru to smile with relief. That is. . .until he looked up and saw his living room. His _pink_ living room, with mauve drapes, flowers, and unicorns as far as the eye could see! It was actually too much for him. And at that point, he fainted dead away!  
"_I think he likes it. . ._" he heard Agnes's voice echo.  
"_Mr. Gru_. . .Mr. Gru. Are you ok?" Margo urgently asked, shaking his arm until he began to stir. Slowly his eyes opened, then widened to the sight of the still unconscious social worker lying up against him!  
"_Uggggh_!" he grunted, quickly pushing him off until his head thumped hard against the floor. As he quickly jumped to his feet, the stranger slowly regained consciousness.  
"What happened?" he groaned. Momentarily thrown off, Gru knew he had some major covering to do.  
"Uhh. . .Don't know. I was following you, and when we got to de door. . .you passed out." By the way the social workers eyes widened, Gru could tell he didn't buy that.  
"B-But I saw you fall apart. . ." He stammered. "_You didn't have a head_. " Although Gru knew the truth, it did sound a little crazy. Clearing his throat, he raised an eyebrow and mimed, "Well. . .you must've bumped _yours_, cause dat is de most ridiculous ting I've ever heard. . ." Although irked by Gru's sarcasm, he didn't answer. Still trying to figure out what just happened. At the same time, Gru was starting to get impatient. "So, is dere anything else you wanted?"  
Snapping out of it, the social worker replied, "Uh, yeah as a matter of fact. You need to sign under my signature." He replied, as Gru quickly jotted down his name. "And here is your copy. Which makes the your home officially suitable. . ."  
"So does dis mean you _won't_ be coming back?" Gru stressed, as he opened the door for the guy to leave.  
"No, sir." Now just as quickly his cool expression turned angry.  
"Good. . .Den _get out_!" He barked, causing the agent to jump back a step. "And you can tell Miss Hattie to send her _spies_ somewhere else!" And with that, he slammed the door in his face! Blowing out a heavy sigh, Gru slowly turned back around until he was facing the shocked expressions on the girls faces.

Gradually his gaze then shifted up to the decked out hallway and livingroom, and a hand slowly rubbed down his face. "My poor house. . ." he groaned under his breath. "What a _disaster_!"  
On the verge of tears, Margo replied, "Please don't be mad, Mr. Gru. We had to change the scenery or the social worker would've taken us away. . ." She said, as his irritated look softened toward her. He was just about to console her when Nephario had come through the transport chute, walking into this pink nightmare. "Ooooh, my word. . ." He muttered, slowly walking through in a stunned daze. "What happened in here?"  
"Long story. . ." Gru replied, slowly folding his arms. "But it was because a social wourker wanted to do a spot inspection on my house. You wouldn't know anyting about dat, would you?" Knowing where this was going, Nephario defensively stiffened.  
"Absolutely not! I had _nothing_ to do with it!" He defensively replied. "But what can you expect, Gru? You crashed a rocket, and almost got arrested! So I think they'd be a little concerned for their welfare!"  
Knowing good and well he had a point, Gru shook his head and muttered,  
"Yeah. And I could've lost dem. . ._again_." Shoulders drooping from the mental exhaustion of it all, Gru was now officially at his breaking point. "Well. . .dats it. I can't take anymore. . ." he replied, giving the three a very sober gaze. Gurls. . .I want you to start packing." Eyes widening, Margo found herself instinctively clinging to her littlest sister.  
"Why?" she asked in a tone that was very insecure.  
By then, even Nephario was looking at him with confusion. Silently he watched as Gru folded his arms. "Because. . .I've decided dat we're going away for awhile. _Far_ away." he said, now cracking a tiny smile. As the two younger siblings gasped, Nephario found himself blurting out,  
"What?"  
Looking toward him, Gru nodded, "Dat's right. We're going on a vacation."  
Now instead of getting excited like he hoped, Gru saw the frustrated expression flash over Margo's face. Flinging a hand on her hip, she snapped in a cracked voice, "What are you trying to do to me?" Realizing that he gave off the wrong impression, Gru immediately softened up, turning very remorseful.  
"Ohh. . .I'm sorry. " he gently replied, stroking the top of her head in a comforting manner. "But, I do mean eet. We're going on a trip."  
This caused her to smile with relief, which pleased him.  
"Where?" For a minute Gru found himself at a loss of words. That thought not even occurring to him until now. "Hmmmm. . ." he replied, tapping a finger on the bottom of his chin. "I dunno. I was tinking maybe. . . paying Mickey Mouse a visit?" He said, looking more toward Agnes. This had her mouth falling open. "Really?"  
"You mean like. . ._Disney World_?!" Edith asked, a clip of excitement in her voice.  
"Ehhh. . .eets a possibility. . ." Gru teased, causing the girls to squeal with delight.  
Right away they ran up, until they had literally tackled him with a hug. "Thank you! Thank yooou!" This melted away any remaining anger Gru had. Snickering he hugged them back and said, "You're welcome. . ."  
"So. . .when are we leaving?" Margo asked, rather enthusiastically. Once again thinking about it, Gru replied, "Well. . .Furst I have to inform de minions, pack, and make reservations for a hotel. So. . .eet will by tomorrow or de day after. . .But we're going. . .we're going. . ." he mimed, as Edith anxiously jumped up and down. "Meanwhile, you need to get your coloring books, and games together. We're going in de Bullet so. . .eet's going to be a long trip."  
"Cool!" Edith chirped as the three of them quickly spun around and ran for their bedroom.

At the same time, Gru quickly turned and headed for the transport chute. By then he could feel Nephario right on his heels. "Gru. . .What's really going on?"  
He asked as the metal pipe smashed over them, and opened back up into the luminescent blue tube. As they quickly began to glide down into the basement, Gru peevishly snapped, "Eets just been too much! And today done it for me. Al'right? I've got to get as far away from here as possible!" he replied, shaking his head. "I owe eet to dem. . .and myself."  
Knowing better than to even protest or say anything, Nephario roughly cleared his throat, "You mentioned that. . .you were taking the Bullet all the way to Florida?"  
"Yes. . .Why?" Rather hesitantly, Nephario carefully replied,  
"Gru. . .Do you know how long that will take? You're lookin at least a weeks trip."  
"Dats de point." Gru stressed. "I'll be able to bond with de gurls, and get to know dem de right way. Besides. . .the longer I'm gone, de better!"  
"Ohhh. . ." Nephario replied, voice trailing off rather sadly.

Not even noticing his reaction, Gru noticed the minions running about and said, "But you are right. . . Dis will be a long trip, and de gurls might get a little restless. Maybe they should have a leetle extra company. . ." he replied, walking up and grabbing the hanging microphone in middle of the room. "_Dave! Kevin_!" Gru shouted, watching as both the little minions slid down the transport tubes. "Follow me, boys. . ." he ordered as they all headed for a more private part of the lab. Once they got there, he turned to the two minions, putting his hands behind his back.  
"You're de furst to know. . .I'm going away for awhile, and I'm taking de gurls on a vacation. To_Disneywurld_. . ." he stressed, watching as they looked from themselves to him with surprise.  
"Ooooh. . ._fuuun_!" Dave chirped full of excitement.  
"Yes. . .It should be. But eet just so happens dat I'm looking for two helpers who would be willing to occupy de gurls during de drive. You know keep dem company. . .play games with dem. . .and eventually. . ._ride de rides_. . ." he hinted, as their eyes widened with intrigue.  
"Yoooou wouldn't know anyone interested, would you?  
Gasping, Dave threw a hand up in the air. "Ooooh! Me! Me. . ._Me_!"  
"Me!_ Mickey_! Me. . ._Me_!" Kevin chimed, as Gru tried to keep a straight face.  
"Hmmm. . .In dat case. . .You're _hired_." Gawking at one another, the two minions shrieked, grabbed each other by the arms and hopped up and down. Amused at over how excited they were, Gru threw a finger to his lips.  
"_Shhhhh_! Remember, dis is really a job dat's top secret!"  
"Ok. . .ok. . ." Dave said, barely able to contain himself.  
"Now go get packed. . ."  
"_K_!" They both hollered, darting of in different directions. "_Whoo-hoo_!"  
Shaking his head, Gru chuckled and said, "I tink dere even more teekled dan de gurls. Dere going to have a good time. . ."  
Not so amused, Nephario couldn't hold it in any longer. In an insulted huff, he turned away and replied, "_Hmph_! I guess I'll never know, will I?" Thrown off by his crass remark, Gru raised an eyebrow with confusion.  
"Now what is dat supposed to mean?"  
"Oh, nothing. While you're off gallivanting and having fun, I'll just go to the _old folks home_ and play _bingo_!" Mouth falling open, Gru let out a frustrated scoff.  
"What?! You mean to tell me you're offended cause you're _not_ coming?" Nephario didn't answer him, just roughly tossed a beaker to the side.  
"_Gaawww_!" Gru vented, throwing his hands up in the air. "I thought dis was something you wanted! You know, too be alone without de gurls around to drive you crazy! And now, you've got de _nurve_ to be mad cause I didn't ask you?" he huffed with frustration. "You need to make up your mind, _old man_!" Getting angry himself, Nephario defensively snapped,  
"Well. . . you seem to be doing that for me!" Having about enough, Gru sharply retaliated,  
"Yeah! De same way you did to me when you had de gurls _picked up_!"  
In that instant Gru stopped when he realized what he'd blurted out. Now he watched as Nephario defensively stiffened. "What?!"  
Not wanting this to get out of control, Gru looked away and shook his head.  
"Noting. . ." And hastily went to leave before anymore damage was done. As he walked passed Nephario, Gru heard him mutter,  
"I don't _hate_ them, you know. . ." he stressed, noticing how Gru's head gradually lowered, but he didn't turn around.  
"Just so you know that. . ."


	3. Chapter 3

**Later on. . . **  
If facing Nephario's crotchety attitude wasn't one thing, facing his mom was surely another! Since he'd officially adopted the girls, Gru hadn't seen or spoken to Marlena for nearly two weeks, which was a record. Although they didn't get along that well, they still kept in touch regularly.  
Something that she took for granted. . .until now.  
Picking up the phone on the other end, she asked, "Hello?"  
"Hi mom. . .How you been?" After some hesitancy on the phone, Gru heard her scoff with disgust. "Who is dis? A _stranger_. . .or my son?!"  
Sighing heavily he nodded.  
"I know. . .eets been awhile. But a lot has happened since you've been gone. . .More dan you can imagine. . ." Now she got quiet, then replied,  
"I understand. . .I know your hands are full now, so you don't have time de way you used to." Gaping at the phone, couldn't believe she was actually compliant!  
"Well yeah. . ." He hesitated, almost not wanting to tell her the rest. "But. . . I wanted to let you know dat I'm taking the gurls away on a trip to Disneywourld for at least two weeks. . .and maybe even longer."  
Not expecting to hear that, Marlena stiffened a little, then snapped.  
"Well. . .make sure you send me a _postcard_, ehh?"  
Although she tried to hide it, Gru knew she felt abandoned. . .and hurt.  
Beginning to feel guilty, he replied, "Mom. . .I've got to do dis. I. . .I thought that at least _you_would've understood."  
After some hesitation, she replied, "I do. . ." but there was no hiding the pain in her voice.  
This had Gru rolling his eyes upward, knowing he needed to play the "_Good son_," roll. Sighing, he cleared his throat and feebly asked through his teeth. "Would you like to come along?" Hearing the reluctance, Marlena quickly retorted, "Deed just you hurt yourself?"  
"Why?"  
"Cause eet sounded like you wore in _pain_ when you asked me dat!"  
Beginning to grow irritated, Gru peevishly glared at the phone. "No, mom. . .Deed you want to come? _Really_?"  
"And be cramped up inside of a closed in vehicle with three screaming gurls? No thank you! But, I wouldn't mind getting out of dis tiny apartment for awhile."  
Eyes lighting up, Gru became very enthusiastic.  
"Well sure. . .You can stay here if you want. You'll have de whole place to yourself. De minions would be threeled. . .and um. . .so would _Kyle_. . ." Now he heard her scoff.  
"Kyle? You mean that _lab rat_ of a dog? Eef you want to call him dat!"  
"Come on, mom. He's not mean to you. He actually likes you. And I need someone to feed him while we're gone. I even thought about bringing him. . .But with all de stops we're going to make, it will be impossible. . ."  
"Hmmm. . .So. . .eets house and dog seetting, hmm?" she mimed, as Gru's eyes suspiciously shifted to the phone. "Sounds like a _job_ too me. . ."  
Exasperated from her nerve, he actually chuckled. "Oh, of course. Why not? What's your _hourly rate_?" he sarcastically asked.  
"Don't be ridiculous, son. . I would never charge you by de hour." she chastised. "But by de _week_is just fine." _(Gotta love them two.)_ lol.

**A few hours later. . . in the lab. **  
After some time Nephario arrived, surprised to find Gru sitting at the main computer. For the two of them, this was the first time they faced each other since their little rift. Looking toward Nephario, Gru cleared his throat and asked, "Were you beesy?"  
"No. . .not at the moment. . ."  
"Den I need to show you something. . ." he said, motioning for him to come closer. As he did, Nephario was surprised to see a view of a hotel room on the web. "I've been surching. . .and I tink I might've found something kinda nice . It's a Resort right next to de park with a two bedroom suite, a keetchen, and two bathrooms. Kinda like an apartment. . ." he lightheartedly replied, as Nephario nodded with some intrigue. "I was tinking. . .dat you and I can share de double, and de gurls can share de single with de king sized bed. Dere's a sofa bed in de living room, so de minions can sleep on dat. What do ya think?" Realizing Gru was actually inviting him to come, Nephario quickly replied. "Sounds like a good move. . .Did you book it?"  
"No. . .Because dere's a problem. I don't have enough on my card to cover eet. Now dat I no longer have an account with de bank, my credit is limited. . .And dey don't accept cash, so. . ."  
"You wanted to use my debit card?"  
"Right. . ."  
"Go on ahead. . .And hurry before somebody else gets it. . ." Nephario said rather excitedly. Relieved that this was resolved, Gru quickly took the card from Nephario and began typing his numbers in. "I've got de money. . .I'll reimburse you in just a sec."  
"No. . no. . .That won't be necessary. I'm going to contribute. To start by covering this. You handle the other hotel, and we'll split the theme park, food and gas expenses. Deal?" Looking at the sincerity on his old friends face, Gru grabbed his gloved hand and shook it. "Deal."

**Later on that night. . .**  
"Ooook, gurls. . .all tucked in?" Gru asked, as he walked into their bedroom.  
"Yes. . . "But. . .why aren't we in our PJ's?"  
"Because de're packed with everything else. . ." he replied, raising the blanket over her head until she giggled. "And I tink that just dis once, we're going to skeep de bedtime story. . ."  
"_Awwww_!" Agnes and Edith moaned at the same time.  
"_Awwwww_. . ." Gru playfully mimed in a high pitched voice. "I really don't tink eet will keel you dis one time. You gurls need to get some sleep. We have a beeg day tomorrow, and we have to get up very eurly. . ."  
"How early?" Margo asked, as she fluffed up her pillow.  
"Try 4:00 in de morning. . ."  
"Whoa. . ." Edith said as he picked up Agnes's unicorn off the floor.  
"Yeah. . .Even Kevin and Dave are going to bed eurly. Dey're camping out in de living room tonight, so dey won't wake de others in de morning. . ."  
"Ooh! _Oooh_! Can we camp with them?" Edith asked sitting up in bed. Chuckling Gru shook his head. "Oooh, no. . .no. . .no! Dis ain't no slumber party! You'd be all night with dem cutting up, and you'd never get to sleep!" he said, tucking Mr. Fluffy in with Agnes. Thereafter he bent over, kissing her softly on the forehead. "Goodnight, shremp. . ."  
"Nighty night. . ." Smiling at her he then turned and walked to Edith. She hugged his neck as he kissed her cheek. "Night squrt. . ."  
"Goodnight. . ." Now he turned to Margo, who stared up at him with a sweet smile. As she hugged him tightly around the neck Gru whispered, "Goodnight, keeten. . ."  
"Goodnight Mr. Gru. . ." she whispered, causing his stomach to sink with disappointment.  
Yet he kept it hidden rather well. Especially when she sweetly added, "I love you. . ."  
Closing his eyes, Gru squeezed her a little closer and whispered, "I love you too. . ."  
**Revisions. . .**  
Sighing heavily, he came out of their room a few minutes later, quietly closing the door behind him. For a minute Gru was deep in thought, staring ahead in a daze. He remembered the very first night he took the girls in for his own selfish reasons, and how terrible he treated them. Having put them to bed early just to be rid of them, he recalled the way Margo looked away and folded her arms. _"Just so you know. . .You're __**never**__ gonna be my dad." _Gru could remember actually chuckling under his breath. Then saying,  
_"Frankly. . .I tink I can live with dat. . ." _But now several weeks later, after falling in love with them and taking them in as his own. .The fact was that he _couldn't _live with it. And now his very words were coming back to haunt him. . .

Walking into the living room, Gru found his mom sitting in the iron chair doing her needlepoint. Looking up at him, she asked, "Got dem all tucked away early, ehh?"  
"Yeah. I wanted to make sure dey get enough rest. But I doubt it. . .Dere too excited about leaving tommorrow. . ." His voice trailed off, as he stared down at the floor. Noticing his melancholy reaction, she stared at him intently. "Well you sure don't look eet. . ." Setting her needlepoint to the side, she asked, "What's wrong, son?"  
"Noting. . ." Gru replied, trying to be nonchalant through the whole thing. But as usual, she saw right through it.  
"Right. . .And you're a terrible liar. . .and always have been. So you might as well tell me de truth. . ." Sighing heavily, Gru shook his head and muttered,  
"Well. . .Eeets just dat. . .I've had de gurls nearly a month now. . .and dey steele call me Mr. Gru."  
"So?" she flippedly said with a shrug. "What's wrong with dat? You're dere father. Even eef dey never say it. . ."  
Inwardly frustrated, Gru looked away and shook his head. "It's still not de same. . ."  
"_Son_. . . ." She called out in a tone that was gentle enough to get his attention. "I want to ask you somthing. How long deed it take before you were able to show de gurls how _you_ really felt?"  
"Unable to look his mom in the eyes, he reluctantly muttered, "It took awhile. . ."  
"Den why on earth do you expect dem to hurry for you?" She chastised, as Gru momentarily sulked, and stared down at the floor. "You need to be patient and accept whatever dey decide. Just because someone doesn't say what we want to hear, doesn't mean dey don't feel it. You do understand dat. . .don't you?" Immediately catching on to what she implied, Gru stiffened, then nodded.  
"Oh, sure." Now he hesitated, then boldly added, "But. . .eet wouldn't hurt to be told every now and den, either. . ." Now out the corner his eye, Gru could see her sigh, then pick up her needle point, and resume. . . as though not even effected by his truthful statement. At the same time, Dave and Kevin walked into the doorway, sleeping bags in hand.  
"Hello boys. . ." Gru said, as they looked up at him with big toothy grins. "I'm torning in now, make sure you do too, ehh? Or de morning will heet you hard. . ."  
"K. . ." Dave said, as they laid their sleeping bags out over the thick polar bear rug. Turning back toward his mother, Gru stared at her for a minute and replied, "Night mom. . ."  
Gradually she stopped stitching, but didn't look up and face him. It was as though her thoughts had taken a trip of their own. 'Goodnight son. . ."

For Gru what remained of that night flew by. By 3:00 am, he was already getting out of bed and anxious for them to get on their way.  
After making a fresh pot of coffee, Gru poured it into a thermos, and helped finish packing the remainder of their belongings in the Bullet. After, he finally went to the girls bedroom to wake them up. Knocking on the door, he gently called out, "Oh, _guurls_. . It's time to go. . ."  
They didn't even flinch, still fast asleep. Although he hated to do it, Gru knew he had to. Reaching out, he flipped on the light switch, causing them to convulsively jerk and throw the covers over their eyes. "_Awwwwww_. . ." Edith moaned out.  
"I know. . .Come on, shreemp. Eets time to get up. You can sleep in de bullet." he said as she squinted up at him. At the same time, a very sleepy Margo slid her glasses on, and hopped out of the bed. As she went to wake Agnes, Gru whispered, "I got her."

Having got up herself, Gru's mom stood in the doorway of the living room, watching as her son carried a deeply sleeping Agnes in his arms. "Bye mum. . ." Nephario whispered, as he Dave and Kevin walked out ahead of him. Giving him a smile, Marlena raised a hand up and whispered,  
"Bye. . .Have fun. . ." Now she watched as her son stopped and turned to her. For a minute, the two just stared at each other. "Well, dis is it. . ." Gru whispered, as she looked at him with such deep inner regard. Keeping it well contained she replied, "Bye son. . .You take care. And be careful. . ." she stressed.  
Nodding, he replied, "We will. . ." Just as he went to turn away she called out,  
"And bring me back something. . ." Chuckling under his breath, Gru smirked and nodded. "Will do. . .Bye. . ."

Although the Bullet looked big on the outside, it was nothing compared to how spacious it was on the inside. Gru had set it up very nicely. Aside from the table in the corner, he hooked up a portable flat screen TV for the girls to watch. He had their entire luggage mounted up against the wall on a shelf. And on the floor were two twin sized air mattresses, complete with pillows and blankets. He walked inside to find Dave and Kevin already asleep in one of them, while Margo and Edith lie in the other. Yawning heavily, Margo watched as Gru gently lie Agnes between the two of them. "Cover her for me." he said as she pulled the blankets up to her sisters chin.  
"We'll stop for breakfast in a few hours. Eeef you need anyting, come on up. Ok?" Margo merely nodded, now turning over to go to sleep with the rest of the group. For a minute, Gru could only stare down at all of them and smile. Deep down, he still couldn't believe this was really happening.

His thoughts were soon distracted when he heard Nephario playfully whisper,  
"You ready to roll?" Looking over his shoulder, Gru turned around a saw the anxious grin on his face. This had him grinning, suddenly just as eager to take off as he was.  
"Yeah. . .Let's hit eet!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Log Entry: June 121h, 2010  
4:30PM **  
_ "It's been two days, and two states later. We just crossed the Arizona border into Phoenix. I actually thought about taking the girls to the Grand Canyon, but our reservations for the Orlando hotel start in the next four days. So the plan is, a state a day, until we get to Florida. Until then, the girls and the minions are starting to get a little restless. So I reckon we'd better stop at a hotel before Nephario has a nervous breakdown. . ." _

"I just booked a place. . ." Gru muttered, looking up from his laptop at Nephario who was at the wheel. "Tourn left at de next exit. Eets a Holiday Inn-"  
Before he could say anything more, he heard a happy cry from below.  
"_Oooh_! That means a _pool_!" Margo's voice shouted.  
Then just like clockwork, all five of them had made their way up to the top, literally crowding Gru and Nephario out. But he didn't care. Seeing them this excited made him happy!  
"Will they have a pool?" Edith excitedly asked.  
Giving Nephario a playful peer, he winked then said. "Hmmm. . Maybe. But who said you're sweeming, hmmm?"  
Mouth falling open she whined, "_Awwwww_. . .Come on! We've getting checking in too late to swim at the other hotels. But it's early now."  
"Yeah, can't we go. . .Please?" Margo pled.  
"Poo! _Poo_!" Dave hollered, right along side her.  
"Swim? Pease?" Kevin anxiously asked.  
"Can we, huh?!" Agnes pled, literally hanging over Gru's shoulder. Looking at the clock on the dash, he chuckled and nodded, "Alright. . .alright. Let's get checked in and settled in de room, and den we'll all go!"  
"_Yaaaaay_!" They all screamed, causing Nephario to cringe a little lower at the wheel. Noticing this, Gru began to chuckle. "And deir just geeting warmed up. . ." he teased, as Nephario irritably glared ahead.

After about thirty minutes, the group finally checked in, dragging their own luggage, and scattering off to change into their swimsuits. This included Dave and Kevin, who each had a pair of red swim trunks with the "G" insignia on the backside!  
Yet, no one was expecting Gru to participate. For normally, he was the observer of the bunch. But not this time! Out of nowhere, he came out of the bathroom dressed in some black swim trunks, a muscle shirt, and flip-flops! Totally _casual_ compared to his normal villainy attire! Immediately he could feel the girls looking at him with surprise, causing a shy grin to spread over his face.  
"Yes. . .I know what you're going to say. . ."  
"What? That your legs are white?" Edith playfully mimed, as he gave her an embarrassed smirk.  
"White! White. . .white. . ._whiite_. . ." Dave cooed, causing the others to giggle between themselves. Completely mortified, Gru grabbed a towel wrapped it around his waist and said,  
"I'm on vacation. Leave me alone!"

Gradually the group of them made their way to the empty pool and stopped, taken back by how big it really was. Looking at each other, Edith, Margo, and the minions let out a whoop and ran straight for it, all jumping in the shallow side. Meanwhile, Gru placed their towels on one of the tables, and sat down with Agnes in a lawn chair.  
"You can't go in without dese. . ." he said, gently pushing some floaties up on her arms.  
Meanwhile, Nephario gradually waded in the water, and nestled himself comfortably in his ducky inner-tube. He watched as Gru pulled off his muscle shirt, to reveal a very white chest.  
"Whoo my. . .Good thing I'm wearin my goggles. . ." He mocked, now beginning to laugh at him.  
Scoffing, Gru picked Agnes off the ground and began walking into the pool. Looking at Nepharios snow-white chest, he retorted, "You got a lot of nurve old man. . ."  
He was suddenly cut short, ducking from a heavy splash. Now gradually, Dave come floating up from under the water, bobbing up and down like a little yellow cork. Grinning, Gru could only shake his head and chuckle at the little minion as he giggled, and swam back to the steps. Now just like him, Edith was right on the edge.  
"Hey watch me!" Before Gru could tell her anything, she shouted, "_Cannonball_!"  
Tucking her knees under her arms, she jumped in, splashing them all good.  
"Hey now!" Nephario fussed, "Cut that out. . ." As she come up, Gru shook his head.  
"De splashing doesn't bother me. You're too shallow, Edith. Don't jump like dat or you'll pound de bottom. Ok?"  
"Ok. . ." she said, noticing that the two minions were signaling her. Grabbing hold of some sonic water cannons that they'd brought with them. Smiling she grabbed hers and dipped it into the pool. Once full, they started chasing each other, leaving Margo in the shallow end. Not wanting to be alone, she got out and walked to the deep end of the pool. There she sat on the edge, throwing her feet into the water. Noticing that she wouldn't jump in, Gru asked,  
"How come you're not in de water?" Now she hesitated, then shrugged,  
"Just don't feel like it. . ." Knowing a little better, he raised an eyebrow and asked,  
"It wouldn't be cause. . .you don't know how to sweem?" By the way her gaze widened, Gru could tell that was the answer. Beginning to fidget, she shyly replied,  
"I-I tried. . .but. . .I can't throw my arms out right. . ."  
Immediately catching on, Nephario replied, "Oh, You mean _freestyle_? Well. . .there's more than one way to swim, you know. "  
Surprised that he was being supportive, Gru nodded,  
"He's right. But. . .you'll never know if you don't try." This had her looking at Gru with some hope, yet uncertainty. Smiling at her, he replied, "Come on. . .It'll be a piece of cake. . ."  
Looking at him with some uncertainty she asked,  
"Here, in the deep end?" Cocking his head Gru raised an eyebrow and replied,  
"How else are you going to lurn?" he asked as a fearful expression, crept over her face. This had him tenderly looking at her. "Margo. I _won't_ let you go. I promise."  
A little more reassured, she nodded, then jumped in quickly grabbing on to Gru's arm. At the same time, Edith ran past him along the pools edge with Dave and Kevin right on her tail, squirting her mercilessly with a water gun.  
"Hey! Stop dat running!" he shouted, as Dave and Kevin glanced at him.  
"Ok. . .ok. . ." Dave chirped, as they slowed down maybe two steps. Then started chasing after Edith once again.  
Rolling his eyes, Gru sighed then returned his attention back to Margo. "_Oook_. . .De secret of sweeming is dis. You automatically float in de water. So all you have to do is lurn how to stay on top, by kicking your legs and your feet together." As Agnes cleaved to his arm, Gru replied, "Spread your arms forward, and let your legs go out from underneath." Now Margo could feel Gru's hand on her stomach, pushing up until she was floating on top the water. "Now swing your arms, and kick your feet at de same time. . ."  
"Ok. . ." she replied, awkwardly fumbling at first. But then she began to get a little more coordinated, until she was actually drifting forward. "Now. . .I'm going to move my hand. And you will sink a little beet. But. . .as long as you keep doing dis, you'll steel float. You ready?"  
Although a little intimidated, Margo knew she was safe. Continuing, she whispered, "Yeah. . ."  
"Ok. . ." Now she felt herself sink a bit as Gru moved his hand. But this only had her more determined to move her arms, and kick. And before Margo knew it, she was drifting forward.  
"Look Agnes. . ." Gru proudly replied, "She's doing it! You're sweemming, Margo!"  
Beginning to grow excited, Margo replied, "I am. . .I really am. . ." she exclaimed,  
as she slowly turned around and swam back to him, until finally she leaped forward and threw her arms around his neck. Laughing, Gru cuddled both her and Agnes at the same time.  
"Hah-hah. I knew you could do it!" he cheered as Agnes let go of him and hugged Margo.  
Rather playfully Nephario mocked, "Proud parent alert. . ."  
Thinking about it, Gru looked over his shoulder at him and nodded, "It is. . ."

No sooner did he say that did Edith, Dave and Kevin made their third lap around the pools edge, spraying Edith relentlessly with the water cannons. By now they were laughing as hysterically as she was. But Gru didn't find it so funny. Especially when she ran into one of the lawn chairs!  
"You guys stop it! I mean eet!" Gru warned a little louder. "If she trips she's going to hourt herself!"  
"_K_!" Kevin now shouted, as his eyes rolled with annoyance. Gradually they slowed down to a quick walk. Until Edith stuck her tongue out at them! Looking at each other, Dave and Kevin laughed and started chasing her again. Getting frustrated from her instigating, Gru watched as the two boys began catching up to her. In a desperate attempt to get away from the pulsing jets of water, Edith made a beeline for the shallow end of the pool. But what she didn't see, was the concrete steps no less than a foot under the waters edge. But Gru did. And before he could say anything, it was too late. In a mad lunge Edith leaped off the edge and smacked the steps hard. Instantly she let out a startled yelp, the turned into a painful moan. "_Ooooooooow_!" she moaned, now barely able to move.  
Immediately alarmed, Gru quickly began wading forward with both girls holding onto each an arm. Once in the shallow water, he handed Agnes over to Margo, and went to Edith who was now sitting on the steps that she'd smashed into only seconds ago.  
"Are you alright?!" Gru asked, almost afraid to touch her. Barely able to talk, Edith moaned,  
"Nooo. . .My knee. ..it _burns_. . ."  
"Alright. . .alright. . .Let me see. . ." he said, trying to be really calm. That is. . .until he pulled her out the water and saw the bleeding gash across her kneecap. Margo let out a startled gasp to the sight of the blood trickling down her sister's leg. "Great. . ." he tensely muttered under his breath. By then, even Edith was beginning to panic over how much she was bleeding. That is, until Nephario approached the side of them and examined the wound.  
"It's not that deep. . ." he calmly stated. "Just badly scraped is all." Now he coolly looked from her to Gru, and said, "It's alright, now. No need to panic. . ."  
But it wasn't panic that Gru was beginning to feel.  
Gradually. . .his narrowing glare shifted directly to Dave and Kevin, who nervously looked back up at him. Not wanting to lose his cool in front of the girls, he put his muscle shirt back on and glared down at the two. "Boys. . .Go to de car and get de furst aid keet. . . ._Now_!" he snapped, in a tone that was irate enough for them to get the message.  
"_Gulp_. . .K. . ." Dave wheedled, as he and Kevin spun away from him.  
"And meet me back in de room!" Gru angrily added, as he swept Edith into his arms. Looking at Nephario, he said, "We won't be long. Would you mind staying with dem till we get back?"  
"Sure. . ."

Carrying Edith into the room, Gru sat her down on the bathroom counter. Turning to the sound of the door opening, Gru knew he had another matter to take care of. Which had him grabbing a hand towel off the rack, running it under the faucet, he tightly wrung it out. "Here. . .Keep dis pressed down, and I'll be right back."  
"Ok. . ." Edith replied, as she shakily took it from him.  
Now Gru walked into the front, to find Dave and Kevin looking up at him with taut expressions on their faces. Very timidly Kevin lifted the kit up to Gru and muttered,  
"Hiss bana too. (_Here ya go_)." Scowling, Gru snatched the kit from him and slammed it down on the table, causing them both to jump. In a chastising manner, he pointed a finger down at them and snapped, "Now _look_ you two! Dis may be a vacation, but you're steel wourking for me, which means dat whether here, or at home, I'm steel de _boss_!" he shouted, as they both gaped down at the floor. "Which means dat when I tell you not to do something, you'd better _leesten up_! Because now she's hourt!"  
Guilty and heartbroken, Dave couldn't take it anymore. Sniffling hard he wheedled, "Ditto. . ." (_Minion talk for sorry_.) And before Gru knew it, he threw a hand over his face and began to cry like a small child. At the same time Kevin patted him on the back, not too far from crying himself. This had Gru feeling bad, because he knew both Dave and Kevin were very soft hearted.  
Sighing heavily, he shook his head. "Look. . ." he said in a more calm tone. "Dis is not your fault, a'right? It's just dat Edith doesn't know any better. . .But _you_ do. . ." he stressed as Dave tearfully looked up at him. "Dats why you have to set an example. Understand? We're supposed to be having fun. But that means being _safe_. . .a'right?" As they both nodded, Gru gave them a reassuring smile. "Now, go on. I'm sure de other two are wondering what happened. Go let dem know it's ok. We'll be dere in a minute." he said, gently patting the top of Dave's head.  
As they turned and walked away, Gru picked up the first aid box and returned to find a very nervous Edith waiting for him.  
"You yelled at them, didn't you?" Raising an eyebrow, Gru artfully looked down at her.  
"_Yes. . .And_. . .I should be yelling at _you_ too, because you're as much at fault, as dey are!" He scolded, as Edith looked away from him. Beginning to fish through the box, he added, "But I'm not going to do eet, cause you're in enough pain. And from de looks of it, you're about to be in _more_. . ."  
"What?" Edith asked with a clip of anxiety in her voice. Hesitating, Gru pulled out a little brown bottle that looked all too familiar to her. Looking at her rather regretfully, he shook his head and replied, "I hate to say it, but de monkeyblood is all I got. . ."  
"The kind that stings?" Edith nervously asked.  
"Fraid so. . ." Gru replied, as he pulled the little glass wand out of the bottle. "Sorry squrt. . ."  
Now he could already see her little eyes darting to the wand, which was only inches away from the scrape. Before Edith knew it, he let the iodine drip, causing her to convulsively jerk. Clawing both hands over her pink wool cap, Edith cringed, then gradually looked up at the stunned expression on Gru's face. As she desperately fought not to cry, Gru could only gape at her with confusion.  
"Edith. . . .What is dis?"  
"What?" she grunted, as Gru raised an eyebrow rather playfully.  
"I know it bourns. Why you acting like eet doesn't?"  
"Cause. . .I'm not a baby. . ." she feebly replied. Mouth falling open, Gru scoffed.  
"A _baby_?!" Bottom lip protruding, Edith put her head down.  
"Yeah. . ." she sadly answered in a cracked voice. Suddenly engulfed by a flash of his own childhood, Gru could feel himself growing defensive for her!  
"You're no baby! All I see is a little gurl who skinned her knee, and is trying to hide de fact dat it hourts." he stressed, as her bottom lip began to quiver. "So what eef it does? Crying about it doesn't make you _weak_. Understand?"  
Now gradually Edith looked up at him, her eyes now gleaming with tears. Still, she managed to smile and give Gru a tiny nod. This had him smiling in return. "Good. . ."

** Later on that night** . . .  
After everyone had gone off to bed, Gru found that he couldn't sleep. So not wanting to disturb Dr. Nephario, he went into the living room of the hotel and began watching TV.  
He was in the middle of flipping channels, when he heard a little whimper from across the room. Looking toward the sofa bed he began focusing on Dave and Kevin who were both sound asleep. But it was Dave who was talking loud enough in his sleep to wake Kevin up. Crossly, the little minion sat up and hit him with the pillow. "_Whaaa_?" Dave snorted, flying into a sitting position.  
"Hey. . .no talky!" Kevin fussed in his miniony language.  
"_Ohhhh_. . ." Dave groaned, flopping back onto the pillow and turning on his side. Just as quickly Kevin done the same, until he was lightly snoring also. As Gru shook his head, he began to focus in on another form standing in the doorway, making it out to be Edith.  
As she walked a little closer, Gru cocked his head and asked, "Hey. What are you doing up? You're supposed to be in bed. . ."  
"I know. . . But my knee is sore. . ." Raising an eyebrow, he nodded.  
"Oh, well it'll be for a couple of days. . ." Now Gru watched as she shyly looked up at him out the corner of her eye, and fidgeted a bit. Suddenly he realized that after what happened earlier, Edith just wanted some TLC. Giving her a tiny smile, he patted the seat next to him.  
"Come here." he whispered, moving over just enough for her to carefully climb up. As she scooted next to him, Gru found himself putting his arm around her until she was cuddling close.

There, no words were said, and didn't have to be. This was one special moment between him and Edith that no one else would ever share.


	5. Chapter 5

**Log Entry: June 15th, 2010  
3:15PM **  
_ "We have just crossed over into Atlanta Georgia. Just one state away from Florida, at last! And I can honestly say. . .that this has been one __**long**__ drive!" _

And indeed it had! After about six hours of nonstop driving, the enclosure in the bottom of the vehicle was starting to give the girls cabin fever. It got so bad that even Dave and Kevin couldn't take it, and actually came up to keep the two men company. From above, Gru could hear Edith and Agnes fighting over who got to color what picture. Shaking his head he shot Nephario an irritated glance and muttered, "You may have been right. . ."  
"About what?" he asked, rather intrigued.  
"Maybe we should've _flown_!" Letting out a sarcastic snicker, he shrugged and said,  
"A little too late for that now, isn't it?" No sooner did he say that, Agnes came up to the top, until she was literally hanging over Gru's seat. Sighing heavily, he asked,  
"What _now_?"  
"Edith's hogging all the colors! She won't give me the blue crayon!" Rolling his eyes, Gru nonchalantly called out, "Edith. Share weeth your sister, _pleease_!"  
"I am! But she's taking too long!"  
"_I am not_!" she screamed in Gru's ear, causing him to cringe. At the same time, Nephario, who was sinking lower and lower into the seat, groaned out, "_Gruuuuu_. . ."  
"I know. . .I know. . .Dere getting rowdy, and we need to stop somewhere. . ." he said, looking up the interstate. That's when he saw nirvana. . .A place called Northland Mall. And it was huge!  
"Look! We'll go dere. Dat way, dey can run themselves ragged." He said, impulsively swerving his massive vehicle through five lanes of traffic. Ignoring the horns blowing nonstop, Gru crazily drove into edge of the parkinglot, and shut off the engine. As the screaming continued, he shook his head and snapped, "Dat does it!"  
Gliding down into the bottom part of the car, he was stunned over the mess of crumbled up papers, and broken up crayons that were all over the floor. At the table, Edith and Agnes were actually pulling back and fourth on a coloring book until it actually ripped in half! "Dat's enough, now!" Gru barked, causing the three of them to jump. "What in de wourld has gotten into you two?" He fussed, actually yanking the coloring book out of Edith's hand. That's when he saw Margo sitting across from them with her arms folded and shook his head. "And _you_? You're just seeting dere doing nothing! Why don't you stop dem?"  
For a minute, it was as though she actually looked insulted. Sighing with frustration, Margo snapped, "Why are you blaming me? It's not my fault their idiots!"  
"But you could at least try-"  
"I'm not their _mother_!" Margo blurted out, as Gru's eyes widened with surprise. "I can't control them anymore than you can! And you're _supposed_ to be their dad!"  
"Oh, and not yours?"  
"Hmm. Sometimes I wonder. Cause you sure don't act like it!" Now through the hurt, Gru could feel himself getting very angry. "Oh, really?!" he snapped, as she looked away and tightly folded her arms. Pounding the door button, Gru found himself blurting out,  
"Well! If I'm dat bad, then maybe I should just leave you here and go to Florida by myself! What do you tink about dat?!" By the hurt looks on Edith and Agnes's faces, Gru was already regretting his words. But that was nothing compared to Margo, who gaped up at him with tears in her eyes.  
"You do, and I'll run away. . ."  
Huffing over her threat, Gru mocked, "You wouldn't!"  
"Watch me!" Margo choked out, quickly jumping to her feet. "Anything's better than getting blamed for them!" As she walked passed him, Gru heard her tensely mutter, "You're as bad as Miss Hattie!" Those last few words cut his heart like a knife.

In spite of the fact that the inside of this huge mall was breathtaking, Gru was too distracted to even notice. Deeply troubled over what had just happened between him and Margo, he realized that this was officially the first argument they've had since he adopted them. And it _hurt_.  
For Margo. . .the feeling was also mutual. Although she felt justified to defend herself in the beginning, she now felt terrible for what she said to Gru. But was still too upset to tell him anything. Instead, she trailed a little too far behind them, which had Dave and Kevin walking with her. Margo didn't mind their company. She adored them as much as they did her, and loved the way they disguised themselves. In this case, they both had oversized baseball caps on their heads, and T-shirts over their coveralls, making them look like little boys! Suddenly they began to madly jump up and down with excitement, getting Gru's attention.  
"_Ooh-ooh-Oooh_!" Dave hollered, as he turned around.  
"What?" Quickly he pointed to a huge candy shop called "_The Sweet Spot_." By the way the girls eyes lit up, Gru knew he was in trouble. Yet. . .this might've been one way to smooth things out between him and Margo. As they turned to walk inside Gru called out to Margo. "Wait. . ."  
Turning around she watched as he dug into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. There to her surprise, he handed her some folded bills. "What's this?"  
"Vacation money. . .You're sisters have de same thing, but. . .I think you're old enough to hold your own." By the way her stare softened toward him, Gru could tell she appreciated the gesture.  
"Thanks. . ." she timidly replied. Giving her a tiny smile, he nodded, then watched as she turned and followed the others into the store. As he shook his head, Nephario let out a chuckle.  
"Pretty good bribe, I'd say. . ."  
Sighing heavily, Gru rolled his eyes then gave Nephario an annoyed glance.  
"You would say dat!" He peevishly hissed through his teeth. Thereafter he quickly turned and walked away from him.

Upon his entry, Gru was completely overwhelmed by the massive assortments of candy that were lined up in a colorful spectrum throughout the store. They had everything from licorice, chocolates of all types, and even rock candy. The entire store smelled the sweet fragrance of sugar, almost making Gru feel like a little boy who stepped into a Candyland! And by the astounded looks on the girls faces, he knew they felt the same way. "Cool. . ." Edith muttered, as she quickly ran straight to the chocolate section.  
This had Gru calling out, "Hey. . .hey. Don't put your hands all over everyting. Let me know what you want and I'll make you a bag, a'right?"  
"Ok. . ." Edith answered. At the same time Agnes anxiously began tugging on Gru's hand.  
"_Ooooh_! Gummy bears! Can I have some? Huh, can I?" Smiling down at her he said,  
"Yes. . .Yes. . .Come on. . ."  
"The red ones! I want the red ones!" As Gru began fixing her a bag, he noticed the way Margo and the two minions stood by the jellybean section, but hesitated until they were anxiously looking in his direction. "Go on. . ." He said, inwardly pleased at over how excited they got. Particularly Margo, who quickly grabbed a bag, and started scooping up her own colorful assortment of jellybeans. Meanwhile, Dave and Kevin were drooling over the banana jellybeans, and taffies. Looking at each other they began to giggle hysterically. Grabbing some bags, they also began to scoop up the confections until they were over flowing. Seeing this suddenly gave Gru an idea.  
"Boys. . .would you mind watching Agnes for a minute?"  
"Uh-huh. . .Uh-huh. . ." Dave eagerly replied.  
"Just make sure she doesn't touch anything!"  
"K. . ." Kevin replied, as took her hand and began to gently pull her forward.  
Walking up to the counter, Gru roughly hit the bell getting the clerks attention.  
"Yes. . .Can I help you?"  
"Perhaps. . .I was wondering eef you place orders for candy?"  
"Certainly. . ." he replied, pulling out the sales book. "How much did you need?"  
Looking back at the banana assortments Gru thought it over, then let out a chuckle.  
"Approximately. . .50lbs of jellybeans, and 50lbs of de banana taffy. . ." Now the guys eyes widened with surprise. Letting out a chuckle the guy asked. "Whoa, dude. You ordering for an_army_?"  
Raising an eyebrow, Gru grinned at him and replied,  
"Yeah. . .you might say dat. But can you do it or not?"  
"Sure. . .But it can take up to a week-"  
"No problem. I'm on vacation for _three_. . .Anything else?" Gru mimed, as the guy looked at him with some skepticism.  
"Well. . .An order this size does require a cash advance." Shooting him a look, Gru whipped out a wad of money, and thrust it at the guy like a fan. "Really? _How much_?"

Chewing a mouthful of jellybeans, Margo stuffed the rest of the candy into her purse. Coming up behind her, Gru looked at Dr. Nephario and said, "Would you mind keeping an eye on dem for just a sec. I have a stop to make. . .  
"Where?" he asked, watching as Gru pointed straight ahead to a Starbucks and grinned.  
"_Uggh_! I should've known. It's like you have a coffee radar!" Nephario picked, as Gru shot him a look. "You've hit every coffee shop across the country!" Miming him, Gru retorted,  
"Dat's right. And de _fix_ has kept me going over de past 500 miles! So _cheel out_!"  
Fighting to keep a straight face, Margo watched as he looked down at her.  
"Feel like coming?" Realizing that he was again reaching out to her, she nodded.  
"Sure. . ."

As Margo waited for Gru to place his order, she began looking around the shop at all the different types of coffee, and coffee makers. But it was the coffee mugs that got her attention. With one in particular that she found herself gazing at. So much so that she actually picked it up and began to study it. "Uh. . .Would you like me to fill dat for you?" Gru asked, as she quickly put it back on the shelf. Trying to cover her tracks, Margo put a hand on her hip and said,  
"Uhhh, no. . .I don't want to be bouncing off the walls the way you do!"  
Letting out a playful huff, Gru shook his head with amusement. "Come on, gurl!"  
He said, as the two of them began heading back for the candy store.

By the way they all stood outside, Gru knew that they were finally done with their candy pillaging. "Well! It's about time you got back!" Nephario crossly replied.  
Agnes tugged his hand and said, "Yeah, cause I'm hungry. . ."  
"Me too." Edith replied, siding with her sister. Looking at the map on the wall, Gru said,  
"Well. . .De food court is upstairs. So come on. . ." he said, "We'll take dis elevator."

As they slowly drifted up, Margo had already made up her mind that she wanted to go back and get that mug for Gru. But the question was. . .how? After all. . .it was just a few stores away from the candy shop so. Already concocting a plan, Margo deliberately waited until they got off the elevator, then turned back to Gru with this innocent look on her face. "Umm. . .I have to go. . ."  
"What?"  
"I said. . .I have to _go_. . ." she stressed, as Gru's eyes rolled with frustration.  
"Margo. . .We just passed de bathroom. Why deedn't you say something?"  
"Uh. . .Cause I didn't have to go then." she mimed, as Gru turned and began to look around a bit.  
"Well now we have to look for a bathroom. Maybe dere's one by de food court. . ."  
"_Or_. . .I can just take the one downstairs. . ." Immediately Gru felt a little apprehensive.  
"Uh. . .Margo I really don't tink dats a good idea. . ."  
"_Awww_, come on. . ." She began to purposely whine, knowing good and well that got on his nerves. "It's just right there. I can take this elevator down, and come right back up."  
"Well. . ." he said, beginning to relent a little bit. "At least take one of your sisters. . ."  
Scoffing, Margo flung a hand on her hip. "I always take one of them! Uh. . .I'm not a _baby_, you know. I can go by myself!" Knowing that he was being pushed again, Gru fought not to lose his temper. Glaring down at her he snapped, "Fine! But you better make sure you take de right elevator! Cause eef you get lost, dats your tough luck!"  
"Don't worry, I won't!" Margo sharply replied, as Gru shook his head with frustration.

Having a one-track mind, Margo got off the elevator, and began walking down the mall a bit until she found her destination. There in a matter of minutes she stepped out of Starbucks, stuffing the mug into her duffel bag. She was happy and satisfied, admiring it as she stepped onto the elevator. The_wrong_ elevator. Only she didn't realize it until she stepped off, and saw what she assumed to be the food court. "_Uh-Oh_. . ." she mumbled, stepping back inside. Keeping a cool head, Margo knew that all she had to do was take the other elevator.  
Yet as she stepped off, the massive size of the mall made all the shops look the same, and very confusing, causing her to head in the wrong direction. _(All too familiar!)_

**Meanwhile. . . **  
Gru impatiently mumbled, "Alright. . .She's taking too long, now. . ."  
Rather nonchalantly, Nephario waved a hand and replied, "Oh, come on, Gru. She's only been gone a few minutes. Give her time. . .She'll be along shortly. . ."  
Very uneasy, Gru shook his head and muttered, "I'm not too sure about dat. . ." This had him looking down at Dave and Kevin. "Boys. . .I'm depending on you. Go see if you can find her."  
With their playfulness suddenly gone, Dave and Kevin gave him a firm nod, and took off running.  
"But. . .won't they get lost too?" Edith asked.  
"No. . ." Gru replied, sitting on the bench next to her. "Dere smarter than dey look. They'll be back. Hopefully with her. . ."  
But that wasn't the case. By then Margo had wandered to the West Side of the mall, while Gru and the gang were still on the East Side. Trying not to get scared, she knew that they were upstairs. So the least she could do was take the elevator, and start walking back toward their direction.

By then it had been thirty minutes, and Gru really started to worry. Especially when the boys didn't return. "_Oook_. . .Dats it." he muttered, looking over the balcony railing to the first floor. "She's been gone too long! We need to look for her. . ._Now_." Scooping Agnes off the floor, he looked to the others and said, "Come on. . .Lets go. . ."  
As they all got back on the elevator and headed back down, they didn't know that Margo was no less than 100 yards away. And within the next few minutes, she finally reached her starting point, being _Macy's_, but was horrified to see that nobody was there waiting for her. Gaping around, she began to continue walking on the second floor, while Gru and the gang continued searching on first.

By then nearly 45 minutes had passed, and Gru was starting to panic.  
"Dis is _insane_!" He nervously whispered through his teeth. By the way Agnes's little arms tightened around his neck, he knew she'd heard him. "Do ya think she ran away?"  
Trying to keep a level head, he blew out a heavy breath and said,  
"Naaw. Of course not! Where would she go?" That's when Edith came on the side of him, with a very scared expression on her face. "What if she was kidnapped?" Horrified over that thought, Gru found himself gaping down at her.  
"Come on, Edith! Don't tink like dat! She's just lost, dat's all. . ." he said, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. As they continued to walk on through the masses of crowds, Gru could feel his heart beginning to pound. Trying very hard to contain the anxiety that was building, he muttered, "She has to be. . ."  
And then. . .in the distance. . .he saw two familiar little figures coming off the escalator. Realizing it was the minions, Gru watched as they madly flagged him down and began pointing to Margo, who was standing right beside them  
"Look! There she is! They found her! They found her!" Edith screamed, as Gru tightly closed his eyes. Putting Agnes down next to Edith, Gru watched as they quickly made their way up to him. Gently they pushed Margo forward, who could only stare at him as though not believing her own eyes. This caused him to instinctively call out to her. "Margo?" It was as though hearing her name snapped her out of it, and she ran to him in a state of relief. This had Gru kneeling down, until he swept her up into his arms, tightly hugging her. "Oh, gurl. . .I was worried sick! What in de wourld happened to you?"  
"I took the wrong elevator. . ." her trembling voice replied against his shoulder.  
Sighing heavily, Gru shook his head and said, "I knew dis was gonna happen. I should've _never_ let you go alone!"  
"I walked and walked and when I finally got back to the store. . .you weren't there."  
Pulling her away, Gru gaped at her full of concern. "Dats cause we came down here looking for you! We must've just kept meesing each other. Dat's all. . ."  
Giving him a heartrending stare, Margo slowly shook her head.  
"I thought you . . ._really_ left me." she choked out, shaking her head in despair.  
Unable to bear it anymore, she put her hands over her face until she began to cry. The heartrending sight of this suddenly had Gru overwhelmed by a flashback of when he first got them. He remembered how he took the girls to "_Super Silly Funland_," with the intentions of abandoning them there. Suddenly he realized that had he done that, this is how they would've reacted. And then to top it off, he had the nerve to threaten her again? No wonder Margo was so insecure. His mom was right. . .and now he felt like a big jerk! Deeply overwhelmed with guilt, Gru pulled her to him, until he was squeezing her tight.  
"Ohhhh. . .No. .. no. . .no. I'm so sorry. I would _never_ leave you!" He whispered, getting more and more upset. "I _never_ should've said dat!"  
By then Nephario could hear his voice crack with emotion, causing a lump to come into his own throat. For in all the years he'd known Gru, this was the first time he ever saw him express himself so affectionately to anyone. It had him realizing for the first time, just how much he really loved these girls. Noticing that a crowd was gathering a bit, Nephario cleared his throat loud enough to get his attention. "Uh. . .Gru?" Now when he looked up at him, Nephario could see the tears gleaming in his eyes. The sight of this stirred him up greatly. "Don't you think we should check into a hotel?"  
Coming to his senses, Gru nodded. "Right. . ." Standing back to his feet, he reached out and took Margo by the hand. "Come on. . ." he said, as her grip tightened and refused to let go. As they began heading for the exit, Gru noticed the tickled smiles on Dave and Kevins little faces. And with good reason! Having accomplished their mission, they more than made up for their error with Edith. So much so. . .that he gave them a proud smile, and said,  
"Thank you, boys. . .Dat. . .desourves a _raise_. . ."  
Simultaneously their mouths fell open with disbelief. Looking from him to each other, they both jumped in the air. "_Whaaa-hooo_!" the hollered, loud enough to get everyone's attention. As they ran down the mall in a frenzy, Gru put a hand up over the side of his face. "Maybe I should've waited till we got to de car. . ." Now he noticed the way Margo was smiling, and suddenly felt a little better himself. Feeling her squeeze his hand, she timidly replied,  
"I'm glad you didn't. . ."

This time, it was Nephario who drove the bullet, while Gru went down to spend time with his three daughters. After what happened, Edith and Agnes were truly attempting to get along with each other. Sitting at the table, they were silently coloring in each their own coloring books, now with each their own box of crayons. On the floor, Gru sat next to Margo in one of the bean bag chairs, watching the portable flat screen TV.  
With his arms folded, he leaned back against the wall of the car, distantly staring ahead.  
"I could remember being lost too. . ." he said, as Margo looked toward him with intrigue. "I was about Edith's age. . .so de store seemed huge. I was scared out of my mind. . ." Now he looked down at her full of sincerity. "But not as scared as I was _today_. . ."  
This had Margo's looking away with guilt. "I'm sorry. . ."  
"Hey. . .Me too." He gently replied, putting his arm around her, "You've been taking care of your seesters long before I ever came into de picture. I had no right saying that you weren't doing enough. Its just dat sometimes you act so grown up. . .I forget dat you're steel a little gurl." He said, giving her a playful wink.  
Not so enthused, she sadly replied, "But I still lied to you."  
"Oh?" Gru asked, raising an eyebrow with concern. "How's dat?"  
"Well. . .when I told you I had to go to the bathroom. . .I didn't. I saw something in a store that I really liked. . .and wanted to buy it. I thought I could find my way back. . ." Putting her head down she whispered, "Please don't be mad. . ."  
For a minute, Gru was totally taken aback. Marveling at how honest she _really_ was, he chuckled then said, "Margo. . .If I said anything bout dat, it would make me de beegest _hypocrite_ in de wourld. Cause I lie. . ._Too_ much. . ." he confessed, as she gave him a surprised glance. "Being a_Veellian_, it comes with de trade. And it's very handy-" Now Gru stopped, when he realized what he was actually bragging about. Eyes shifting upward he added, "But. . .dat doesn't make eet right. . ." Studying her, an eyebrow raised and he said. "So I tell you what. . ." Sighing heavily he muttered, "I can't believe I'm gonna do dis, but. . .eef I promise to stop. . .will you?"  
"You. . .you'd do that for me?" Letting out a chuckle, Gru nodded,  
"Hmm. . .It won't be easy but. . .of course I would." Giving her a very sincere gaze, he asked, "How can I be an example, if you don't trust me?" As a very touched expression crept over her face, Gru asked, "So. . .is it a deal?" he secretly muttered, holding out his hand like he'd be making a villainous business transaction. Letting out a giggle, Margo reached out and took his hand.  
"Deal. . ." she said as he firmly shook it. Thereafter Gru pulled her in a tight bear hug.  
"I love you, keeten. . ." he softly muttered.  
"I love you too. . ." she whispered, squeezing him back. Now just as quickly he pulled her away and playfully eyed her bag. "So what'd ya get?" In a flash she yanked her bag away before he could grab it. "Uh. . .That's a secret!" she cooed, as he let out a playful scoff.  
"_What_?! After all dis trouble, you're not gonna tell me?"  
"Nope. . ." She said as he folded his arms.  
"Well. . .I guess I can live with dat. . ." Giving him a look of affection, Margo smiled and said.  
"Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Log Entry: June 161h, 2010  
5:35 AM **

_We made it! After a week of headaches and hollering, we finally made it to Florida! But not without complications! It turned out that the room Nephario and myself reserved, was out of order, and had been __**canceled**__! Needless to say, I wanted to freeze the guys __**butt**__ right there! But, we ended up getting a better deal. We got a 12 person suite in the place of an 8, for the same price! So now Nephario and myself each have our own room! And the girls and the minions have their own as well! We've all been segregated. Hah-hah!  
I will say this. The suite itself is fancy, and excellent. Better than my own house! And it should be for over __**500**__ a night! But the girls are really going crazy over the pool! It's more like a lake, with a stream for tubing. . .if you can believe that!  
And tomorrow is the big day! We're getting up early and heading to Disney World! I've already decided that I'll be taking the girls to the "Tommorrowland," park. Then Epcot. That's if we have time for that. But for now, I have to go. Both the girls and the minions are driving me crazy about going swimming. Will update later. . . _

**7:00am**  
"_Guuurls_! Oh gurls. . ." Gru cooed, knocking on the door of their room. "Time to wake up!" Stepping inside, Gru watched as Margo gradually sat up in bed, while Edith and Agnes stretched in the other. "Hi daddy. . ." Agnes said in the middle of a yawn.  
"Hi squrt. . ." Gru cheerfully replied, walking up to the curtains and whipping them open. "Come on! Breakfast is ready in de front! We have a beeg day today!"  
"_Ooooh_! Disney World at last!" Edith shouted, jumping out of bed and stumbling over her own shoes!  
Shaking his head Gru chuckled and replied, "Yeah. Granted we get dere in one piece!"

As the group ate their breakfast, Gru quickly threw on his jacket and grabbed the freeze gun off the counter. As he hung it inside the strap, Dr Nephario shook his head. "Oh nooo, Gru. Don't tell me you're bringing that thing along. . ."  
Rather surprised that he'd ask, Gru shrugged and said,  
"Why not? You know I carry dis with me everywhere."  
"That's right. . .and you always end up using it! But need I remind you that this ain't no _coffeeshop_we're going too!" He mimed as Gru shot him a look. "The lines will be much longer and eventually. . .you will fire that thing on some defenseless tourists."  
"I will not!" he argued.  
"Ohhhh yes, you will." Nephario coolly replied, "Because you don't have any will power!"  
Letting out a defensive scoff, Gru flung a hand on his hip.  
"What are you trying to do? _Rile_ me dis morning?!"  
"No. . .I'm just statin the facts. That's all. And you didn't become a super villain by practicing _self control_. . ." Nephario replied, trying to keep a straight face.  
"Oh, yeah? Well you want to put your money where your mouth is?!"  
"Aww, come on. . ."  
"No, I mean it!" Gru whined, as Nephario began to chuckle. "I do have will power! And a hundred bucks says I won't fire dis thing one time while we're in de lines!"  
"A _hundred_?" Nephario intentionally mimed, egging him on. "_Hah_! For someone so sure of himself, you don't bet very big!" Falling for it, Gru cocked his head and said,  
"Alright, den. _Five_ hundred! _Smart alec_!" he snapped, as Nephario began to laugh at him. "And I'm going to enjoy taking it from you, too!"  
"Not as much as I will handing to you. . ." Nephario replied, as Gru shot him a funny look. "Just this once. . .I want to be _wrong_!"

**Forty-five minutes later**  
After walking through the massive Disney parking lot, the group of them found themselves staring out at the Tommorrowland entrance with their mouths hanging open. Everything was so vibrant, and colorful, that it really was like being they were entering a whole different world of complete fantasy! Full of awe, Margo found herself whispering,  
"This. . .is so awesome. . ."  
"Yeah. . ." Edith mumbled, just as transfixed as she was. "We made it. . .We finally made it!" Content with the excited expressions on their faces, Gru proudly grinned and said,  
"So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

One of the first things they done was take the Tommorrowland Transit Authority. Which was basically a like a futuristic roller car, that overlooked the entire park. As they briefly glided over all the park exhibits, Gru was surprised to find them going through one of the most popular rides, called Space Mountain. Which is basically a roller coaster inside of a huge planetarium of stars and galaxies, giving you the impression that you were flying through space! For Gru, this was one ride he'd wanted to try from the beginning. And apparently, he wasn't the only one. From behind he could feel Edith tugging on his shoulder. "Ooh, dad! Oooh! Can we go on that next?!"  
"Yeah, can we? _Please_?!" Margo cried, pulling on his other arm. Tickled over how excited the girls were getting, Gru chuckled and said.  
"Yes. . .Yes. . .As soon as the car stops, we'll go. . ." As they all cheered, Gru didn't know who was more excited. Them. . .or him! And at first. . .their walk through this place was completely awesome. Transfixed by the space-like music, and starry displays on both sides of the hall as they made their way to the loading platform. But then, Gru began to notice how the flow of walk through traffic completely stopped . . .and realized. . .that this was the beginning of one of the longest lines he'd ever seen! And through the echoing voices of the massive crowd, he roughly rubbed a hand over his face, and closed his eyes. "_Ugggggh_. . ." he moaned, feeling as Margo and Edith pulled on each an arm.  
"Come on, dad. It won't be that bad."  
Now he felt another pair of eyes watching him, and looked over to find Nephario with a big smirk on his face! As though to say. . . "I told you so!" This had Gru defiantly stiffening, giving him an artful grin in return. Looking down at Edith he deliberately said,  
"Of course not! It'll be a piece of cake! Let's go!"

Needless to say that after about an hour of waiting, they finally boarded the ride! Since Nephario wanted to catch everything, he and the minions rode in the front car. With Edith and Margo in the second, and Gru and Agnes in the third.  
Although very pumped up about riding, he noticed that Agnes wasn't so enthusiastic. As a matter of fact. . .she looked kind of scared. "What's wrong Agnes?" Gru asked, as she apprehensively stared ahead. "It's. . ._dark_. . ."  
"Ahh. . .well. We're going into space. So it's supposed to be. . ." Overhearing him from behind, Margo leaned over the seat and said. "It's ok, Agnes. Do you remember when Gru went to the moon?" As he smiled at her, Agnes nodded.  
"Uh-huh. . ."  
"Well. . .This is the same thing. ..We're going into space, just like he did. But it will be pretend."  
"Yeah. . .It'll be fun Agnes. Trust me. . ." Gru said, as the coaster began to glide into the starting position. By the way she instinctively clung onto him, Gru knew she wasn't so sure about that! Yet for him and the rest of the group, the ride was incredible. Whirling them through a swirling plethora of stars and galaxies. And with them being blinded by darkness, it only made the ride that much intense, unpredictable and fun! Within minutes the ride abruptly came to a halt. And as the group of them poured off, Gru couldn't help but notice the tense expression on her little face. At the same time, Edith, Margo and the minions were all pumped up.  
"Oooh! Can we ride it again?"  
Edith asked as Agnes began to shake her head. "No! No. . ." she pled, literally yanking Gru's hand off. Inclined to agree with her, he said, "And stand in dat _long_ line, again? I don't think so."  
he said, as they all moaned at the same time. "Besides. . .We just got here, and dere are other rides you know. . ."  
"Speaken of which. . ." Nephario replied out of the blue. "I saw a place just round the bend, where hundreds of dollies sing and dance." Stunned, Gru watched as Agnes's eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "Really?" Agnes asked with surprise.  
"Oh, yes. . .And you get to ride through it in a boat. . ."  
"_Ooooh_! The Small World ride? I forgot about that one! Can we go on that next? Please?"  
Looking from Margo to Nephario with a pleased expression, Gru nodded with a smile.  
"Sure. . ." Putting Agnes down, Gru watched as she ran with the others. . .now as happy and enthused as they were. Looking as Nephario, he shook his head with amusement.  
"You're something else, you know dat?"  
"I know. . ." he mimed, as Gru rolled his eyes with amusement.

The outside of the _"It's a Small World Castle."_ Looked like something out of the _"Babes in Toyland,"_ movie. From the front, you could see the small river that entered into this huge pretend world. Yet. . .as they got inside, Gru was stomped over the masses of people waiting in line, to get on a boat! Roughly rubbing a hand over his face, he groaned,  
"_Uggghhh_. . .It's like it goes on forever!"  
"I _knooow_. . ." Nephario stressed, beginning to uncontrollably giggle under his breath. Shooting him a peevish glance, Gru muttered, "You're enjoying dis, aren't you?"  
"Hmm. . .Not as much as I'm gonna enjoy counting that money. . ." He stressed, as Gru smirked, and raised an eyebrow. "Hah! In your dreams!"

As they continued to wait in the line, Edith pointed down to the stream and asked,  
"Why is the water shining?" Her question had everybody looking down at the glistening stream with curiosity. "Whoa. . .Because it's _money_, Edith!" Margo excitedly replied.  
"No way!" she said, leaning a little further.  
"She's right. . .People toss coins in as they pass through. Which shows how many have actually been through here!" Shooting Nephario a devilish glance, Gru cooed, "Makes you want to jump in and steal some of it, ehh?"  
"Yeah?" Nephario scoffed. "Just make sure it's enough to make _bail_!"

_Finally_. . .after an hour and a half, they all boarded the boat!  
As the ride slowly began, everyone including Gru were completely taken aback over the colorful, vibrant pretend world they were entering. There as far as the eye could see, were hundreds of dolls from different countries, each on an island of their own. They even drifted from the ceiling, in airplanes and hot air balloons, singing the "It's a Small World," theme in their own language. And although was absolutely beautiful, there was one annoying side effect.  
"Ugggh! Now I can't get dat stupid song out of my head! I'll probably have nightmares about it tonight!" Gru muttered to Nephario, as they exited the building.

But little did he know that it wouldn't be the song, keeping him up that night! After having lunch, they wandered around the park some more until they came upon the Disney _Haunted Mansion_!  
"Oh. . .Cool. . ." Gru muttered, as they began to walk up the sidewalk. "Dis is one ride I've been wanting to see. And de line isn't dat long. How neat is dat?"  
"Uh-huh. . ." Margo said, as she held her little sister by the hand. "Umm. . .Do you think it's a good idea to bring Agnes along?" Rather surprised by that question, Gru turned toward her and asked, "Well no. . .Why would you ask dat?"  
"Think about it. . ." she mimed, playfully raising an eyebrow. "The darkness is one thing. . .but_ghosts_? She's never seen anything like this before. It'll freak her out. . ."  
"But dere fake!"  
"Doesn't matter. . .She's only _five_. . ." she stressed, causing Gru to lightheartedly chuckle.  
"Awww come on. . .She can handle it. Besides. . .she'll be with _me_, right?"  
"Right!" Agnes said letting go of Margo's hand, and latching onto Gru. Proud over her confidence in him, Gru nodded and said, "She'll be fine. . ." Knowing her sister a while lot better, Margo grinned and shook her head. "_Oooook_. . ." she cooed. "But you're gonna regret iiiitt. . ."

Unfortunately. . .Gru found out the hard way that Margo was indeed telling the truth!  
Before they even boarded their doombuggy, they were taken into a creepy gallery, where an ominous voice, being their _Ghost host_ spoke to them. As they gathered into the center of the room, the pictures on the walls began to grow, giving off the impression that the room was stretching! Then it turned pitch black, and at the very top of the ceiling, you could see a silhouette hanging from a noose. . .followed by a flash of lightening, loud thunder, and an high pitched scream! As Agnes jumped in Gru's arms, he shrugged it off. Giving her a tight squeeze.  
"It's ok. Look." He said as the lights came back on. "We're alright, now. . ."

Now the time came for them to board the Doombuggy. And since the cars were so small, they paired up, the same way they did on Space mountain. With Nephario, Dave, and Kevin in the front to film the entire thing, Edith and Margo, and Gru and Agnes in the last car.  
Gradually. . .it started off with them slowly rolling up a creepy staircase in the dark, _(that's the impression anyway.)_ As they did, glowing eyes and footprints could be seen gliding across the ceiling and walls. Then a coffin emerged with a glowing skeleton, trying to come out of it. As they made the corner, they came upon the first of the ghostly exhibits. Being the floating head of Madame Leota, from the Disney movie, "The Haunted Mansion." In the dark her head levitated, as she chanted off a creepy spell. For Agnes. . .the sight of this had her glued to the seat. Her little mind not knowing what to make of it. For Margo was right. . .she'd never seen anything like this before! As they made their way onto the upper level, the creepy voice told them that the ghosts would materialize for the guests.  
By then the group found themselves on a balcony, looking down at a huge ballroom and banquet table. "Ohh, look Agnes!" Gru replied as she leaned over him. "Look at de ghosts dancing!"  
And indeed they were. In reality they were holograms of about four couples dancing and spinning on the floor. Some ghosts were sitting at the table, while others were floating around the huge chandelier that hung in the center of the room. Gradually they left this scene and came into a dark hallway where there were glowing three dimensional picture frames of a deceased couple. As they drew nearer, you could hear a loud deep heartbeat in the background. _(What I never forgot!)_Followed by the creepy yet awesome sight of the ghost bride, standing in the front of her wedding cake, waiting for them to come on by!  
_"You may now kiss the briiiide. . ._" she chanted in a eerie, sinister voice.  
"_Woow_. . ." Gru chuckled. "Isn't dat neat?"  
Agnes could only gulp, completely petrified by her ominous sight.  
By then they approached the finale. . .being a cemetery with a bunch of Ghosts singing and playing instruments. That wouldn't have been so bad, had it not been for the row of singing heads sitting at the front of the gate! But it was the end of the ride that really freaked Agnes out.  
"_Bewaaaaare of hitchhiking ghosts! Mmmmwha-ha-ha! They have selected you to fill our quota, and will haunt you until you return_!" No sooner did that happen, a hologram of a ghost appeared right in the front of her and Gru! Terrified, Agnes screamed and clamped her arms around his neck. This Gru found to be extremely funny.

As they headed out of the exit, Edith exclaimed, "Oh, man that was so cool! I wish we could go back again!" Trying to loosen Agnes's tight grip around his neck, Gru coughed a little, then chuckled,  
"Umm. . .It's starting to get late. I tink it would be a good idea to head back to de hotel."  
"_Awwwwww_!" Edith, Dave and Kevin moaned at the same time.  
"Hey, cheel out! We have all day tomorrow. And besides. . .I thought we'd go swimming!" he cooed, giving Agnes a gentle shake. "Doesn't dat sound like a good idea?"  
Gulping, Agnes nodded, but didn't say anything. At the same time, Gru could feel Margo watching him. Seeing the amused grin on her face, he rolled his eyes. "_What_?!" he playfully barked.  
Beginning to giggle, Margo choked out, "Oh, nothing. . .but you're gonna be _soorry_. . ." she cooed, playfully folding her arms.

**Later on that night. . . **

What turned out to be a short dip, wound up being a three hour romp in the pool. After playing Marco Polo with the girls, and constantly being flipped over in his raft by Mark and Dave, Gru was utterly exhausted. And by the way the girls were yawning, he knew they were pretty tired themselves. By the time they got a bite to eat, and bathed, it was already going on 10:00PM. They didn't even put up an argument for a bedtime story. As a matter of fact, Agnes was already nodding off before he could even turn out the light. This had Gru grinning with sheer satisfaction. Giving the girls each a kiss, he went off to do a little snoozing of his own.

After putting on his PJ's, Gru slipped into bed and snuggled under the covers. He was so exhausted, that he didn't even bother to watch TV. But instead turned off the lamp and settled in for a good nights sleep. He was just about to doze off, when he felt like someone was watching him. That's when he looked up and saw Agnes standing at the foot of the bed.  
"_Ohhh_, no. . ." he groaned, putting a pillow over his head. From underneath, he watched as she timidly approached him and whispered, "I think there's something in my closet. . .a _monster_. . ." Trying to be very patient, Gru took the pillow off his face, and nestled on top of it.  
"Don't be silly. . ." he nonchalantly mumbled. "Eeets just your imagination."  
"B-But you said there _were_ things in the closet. . .Remember?"  
This had Gru sitting up a bit, until he was resting on an elbow. "Awww, Agnes. . .Dat was _so_ long ago! I was just being _stupid_! Dere was nothing in your closet. And even eef dere was, why would it follow you all de way out here to Florida?" he sleepily argued, in the middle of a long yawn.  
"Cause maybe it hitchhiked like one of them ghosts did. . ."  
By the way her little voice trembled, she wasn't too far from crying. This had Gru leaning forward, until he turned on the lamp. Sure enough, he saw the tears welling up in her big brown eyes.  
Knowing deep down what she really wanted, Gru asked, "So you're thinking dat. . .it won't come in here eef you get in de bed with me, hmm?"  
"Yeah. . ." she whispered, as he let out a heavy sigh.  
"Come on, squrt. . ." Without any hesitation, Agnes hopped over Gru and got in the middle.  
As he went to turn out the light, Agnes cried, "Don't turn it off. . ." Letting out a low moan, Gru peered at her and said, "Awww Agnes. I'll _never_ sleep with de lamp on. . ."  
"But the monster-" she said, her voice beginning to tremble again.  
On the verge of desperation, Gru jumped out of the bed and walked up to the closet. There he opened the door just a crack, and flicked on the lightswitch. Turning back to the relieved expression on her face, Gru put a hand on his hip and said, "Now theoretically. . .if dere really is a monster, den we'll see him and I'll _punch_ him in de nose. A'right?" This had Agnes smiling with gratitude.  
"Ok. . ." she said, causing Gru to smirk, and shake his head.  
"You're something little gurl. . ." he mocked, as climbed back in bed. As she snuggled next to him, Gru could smell the strawberry shampoo in her hair. This had him squeezing her a little tighter.  
"Now. . .Feel better?"  
"Uh-huh. . ." she said, letting out a hard yawn. This in turn had Gru doing the same thing.  
"Yeah, me too. . ." he said, now turning off the lamp. "Goodnight. . ."  
Within the next few minutes he could feel Agnes going limp, indicating she had already fallen fast asleep. This had him leaning into his pillow, until he had also drifted off as well. Until. . .he felt the bed vibrate just enough for him to see Edith's silhouette snuggling next to her sister! Too drained to argue, Gru let out a weak sigh then drifted back off to sleep. Or so he thought. Again he felt the bed shake just enough to see Margo sitting on the edge, until she scooted over next to Edith. This had him gaping at her with exhaustion. "Aww. . .come on, now. Not you too. . ."  
"Uhhh. . . If you think I'm staying in that big room by myself, your crazy. . ."  
"_Ohhhhh_. . ." Gru groaned, as she scooted into the bed. "What am I going to do with you three?" By then, he found himself practically on the edge of the bed. Desperate to get comfortable, Gru stretched out a bit, until Margo and Edith were resting their heads on his arm. As they scooted a little closer, Gru began to realize just how _nice_ this really was.


	7. Chapter 7

Early the next morning Nephario got up, rather surprised not to find Gru sitting out on the balcony with his cup of coffee. This had him rather curious, wanting to check and make sure his friend was alright. He noticed that the door to Gru's bedroom was halfway open. This had him walking just enough to peek inside. There he found Gru still fast asleep in bed, with his arm nestled around the three girls in a protective cuddle.  
For a minute Nephario was utterly taken back by this touching sight. For knowing Gru's track record over the years, this was indeed another first that he'd never forget. This had him sighing to himself,  
"Oh, Gru. . .I never thought I'd see the day. . ." he whispered, shaking his head.  
His thoughts were distracted to the ringing of Gru's phone on the kitchen counter. Quickly he reached out and picked it up. "Hello?"  
"Good morning. . ." Marlena replied, out of nowhere.  
"Well good morning to you, mum. What are you doin up this early?"  
"I couldn't sleep. . ." She said, taking a teabag out of her cup. "And I was wondering. . . how's my son?" she asked rather awkwardly. Hearing this had Nephario smiling.  
"Miss him, don't you?" Confronted, Marlena sighed heavily.  
"_Ehhh_. . .Let's just say de house seems bigger without him here. And _empty_. . ." She added in a tone that was rather melancholy. Feeling for her, he suddenly had an idea.  
"You wanna know, mum? Turn on the big TV and I'll show you. . ."  
Grabbing the laptop, he sneakily headed to Gru's room. Slowly Nephario opened the door, to find that Gru and the girls were still sleeping. This had him facing the labtop toward them. There from the living room, Marlena, Mark, and about 20 other minions found themselves staring at the unexpected, yet sweet sight of Gru holding his girls. As the minions began to giggle, Marlena could only stare at the way her son cuddled with his little family.  
"_Precious_. . ." she whispered under her breath. When Nephario turned the laptop around, he saw the tears in her eyes. At first he was so moved by that, that he didn't notice Gru waking up. Slowly his head lifted up just a bit, and his eyes widened.  
"Hey! What are you doing?!" he hissed in a loud voice. Now quickly the scene spun around until she saw the startled look on Nepharios face.  
"Uh-oh. . .Looks like I'm _busted_. . ." he said, as she began chuckling. "I'll have him call you back after the _murder_. . ."  
"Ok. . ." Marlena chuckled. Thereafter Nephario quickly closed the laptop, and quickly heading for the livingroom.  
Careful not to wake the girls up, Gru wormed his way out of the bed and stumbled up to him, still half asleep. "What's de beeg idea?! You trying to show me up in front of my minions?!"  
"No. . .Your _mother_. . ." For a minute Gru could only look at him with surprise.  
"What? You called her?"  
"No. . .she called you." Again, he was even more shocked.  
"She did?"  
"Yeah. . .She won't admit it but, she's missing you. . .bad." Although inwardly touched by that information, Gru felt himself stiffen with some resentment.  
"Well good. . .It's about time. . .don't you tink?"

**Two days later:  
June 18th **  
_ Disney itinerary: Rides we've rode so far.  
Space Mountain, Small World Ride, Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain Train, and Splash mountain. Would've rode more if de lines weren't so long! Today we will try to catch whatever is left, and then we'll be leaving for Epcot. . . . _

**Later on that day. . .**  
"Come on, dad. Ride the teacups with us!" Edith begged, as the group of them finally got to the front of the long line. Noticing how some of the kids were madly spinning them around before the ride even began Gru actually cringed.  
Giving her a playful look, he chuckled and said, "_Nooo_. . .I don't think so."  
"Aww, why not?" Margo playfully whined, tugging on his arm. Grinning down at her, Gru raised an eyebrow and said, "Because I want to keep my lunch where it belongs. . .in my _stomach_! Besides, Dave and Kevin are going with you-  
"So am I. . ." Nephario chimed. As Gru shot him a surprised look. "_Some_ of us can handle it."  
"Oh, please. . ." Gru mimed, as Nepario and the rest of the group boarded onto a cup." At least I can _hear_!" he sarcastically muttered, as they slowly glided away from him.

The ride hadn't begun five minutes, when Gru noticed that an oversized Mickey mouse was heading his way. Not even thinking about the girls or Agnes for that matter, Gru immediately became vexed. He despised the park mascots, as much as he hated clowns! And he was in no mood for their foolishness. Glowering, he watched as the round-eared menace approached him.  
"Hiiii ya mister! Hows it going?!"  
Although this fellow tried to do Mickey's high voice, it was pitiful! By the way his voice cracked, Gru could tell he was some college kid still in puberty! Rolling his eyes he peevishly hissed,  
"Fine, until _now_. . ."  
"Isn't this just a _wooonderful_ day?"  
"It was. . ." he sarcastically answered. "I tought you were supposed to be de silent type?"  
"Hah. That was the old school Mickey. . .But this is new school mouse!"  
Immediately vexed, Gru snapped out, "Really? Well, I'm steele old school. . .So, beat it rodent!" Rather huffily, the stuffed mouse playfully got into a defensive pose.  
"Well. . .is somebody in a _baaad_ mood?"  
"Not yet. . .But I weel be if you don't leave me alone!"  
This seemed to fuel the Mickey mascot to aggravate him even more. Roughly he threw an arm around Gru's neck, literally knocking him over. "_Naawwww_. . .Can't do that till I see a smile!" he cooed, as Gru gritted his teeth in frustration. "Come on, now. . ._smiiiile_!" As the playful antagonizing continued, he didn't notice Gru unzipping his jacket. Within seconds his hand slowly emerged, gripping the freezegun. And before the oversized menace knew what was happening, Gru pulled the trigger sending a bolt that instantly froze the mascot dead in his tracks. Quickly sticking the gun back inside of his jacket, Gru ducked from the underneath of his crystallized arm.  
Letting out a wicked giggle, he hissed, "I'm smiling _now_!"  
Just as he went to walk away, Gru found himself frozen to the sight of the girls, the minions, and Nephario with stunned expressions on their faces. But nothing compared to the horrified expression of horror on Agnes's little face. "Gaaaaaasp! _Mickeeeey_!"  
She hollered, now beginning to cry hysterically. Suddenly. . .Gru didn't find it so amusing anymore. . .and neither did the security guards!

**Moments later **. . .  
"Thanks a lot! Now we got kicked out of Disney World!" Edith fussed, as they walked through the parking lot.  
"Yeah. . .You're lucky you didn't get _arrested_!" Nephario crossly added, causing Gru's head to sink a little lower.  
"How could you do that? I can't believe you froze Mickey Mouse!" Margo angrily chastised, as Agnes cleaved to her hysterically. "What are you trying to do? Scar her for life?" Although completely miserable, Gru found himself getting very defensive.  
"Look eets not my fault, a'right?! De creep kept harassing me! What else was I supposed to do?!"  
"Walk away. . .Not turn him into a mouse-pop!" Margo argued, as Agnes continued to cry.  
"_Mickeeey_. . ." she whined, causing Gru to get even more agitated.  
Throwing his arms up in the air, he hollered, "He's not even _real_, Agnes! Just some _pimply keed_in an overgrown mouse suit!"  
Letting out stunned gasps, Dave and Kevin looked from themselves to Gru with hurt expressions on their faces. But that was nothing compared to Agnes, whose tearful brown eyes widened with disbelief. Letting out a heartbroken gasp, she threw her head into Margo's side and began to sob uncontrollably.  
"Way to go! You just as well have shot _Santa Claus_!" Edith snapped, actually putting a protective arm around her little sister. By then Gru knew there was no escaping his horrible mistake. Buried in way over his head, he clawed a hand over his face and groaned with exasperation.  
"_Alriight_! Alright! I'm sorry!" he pled, now trying to reach out to Agnes. Only when he did, she jerked away from him clinging to her sisters. This had Gru's stomach turning over, realizing without a doubt that he did go to far. Now hurt, he sadly looked down at her and shook his head. "Look. . .I promise I'll make eet up to you. We'll go somewhere else, alright?!" he bargained, as Agnes continued to sniffle. "We still have Sea Wourld!"  
"Yeah. . .if you don't freeze Shamu!" Edith accused, causing him to scowl with frustration.

The ride all the way back was long, and quite between Gru and the girls. The more they held their silence, the angrier Gru became. . .at _himself_. By the time they entered their hotel room, he'd had enough. And knowing he lost a bet to Nephario only made it worse! Huffing with frustration, Gru dug in his pocket.  
"Here. . . .You might as well take dis!" He snapped, hastily flinging the money on the counter. Trying to remain as levelheaded as possible, Nephario asked,  
"What's that for?" he asked, causing Gru to marvel at him.  
"Aww come on! I know you're not senile! You saw what I deed!"  
"Yeah. . .But it wasn't done in the _line_, now was it?" He deliberately stressed, causing Gru's eyes to slowly widen. "So. . .technically. . .the bet has been forfeited. . ."  
When Gru realized what Nephario was trying to do, his angry glare gradually softened turning into a guilt ridden stare. As he put his head down, Nephario shook his head. "Gru. . .Keep your money. I think. . .you've lost enough today."  
Now Gru's sad gaze shifted to Agnes, who was sitting on the couch with her sisters. Putting his head down, he muttered, "Yeah. . ."

As he walked out onto the balcony and shut the door, Edith saw the gloomy expression on his face. "He looks so sad. . ." she whispered, not so angry with him anymore.  
"I know. . ." Margo replied, noticing how her little sister was watching him. "Agnes. . .Why don't you talk to him. . ."

Reclined back in a chair, Gru was watching the sunset, when he began to sense someone watching him. This had him looking over his shoulder, surprised to find Agnes standing there, holding onto Mr. Fluffy. Getting a knot in the pit of his stomach, he couldn't even look at her, putting his head down as she quietly approached him. "Whatcha doin?" she asked rather timidly.  
Trying to compose his sadness, Gru shrugged and replied, "Just watching de sun go down. . ."  
"Can I watch with you?" she shyly asked.  
Closing his eyes from the relief beginning to wash over him, Gru nodded.  
"Of course. . ." Now Agnes crawled up until she was sitting in his lap. Although comforted that she was with him, Gru still felt insecure. "You still mad at me?" His question had her shyly looking at him.  
"No. . ." Now as she leaned her head back against his chest, Gru heard her whisper. "Can I ask you something?"  
"What?" Once again she turned around until she was facing Gru with curiosity.  
"Was that really Mickey Mouse?" Now Gru's eyes apprehensively widened, genuinely worried over not saying the wrong thing. But then he thought about his promise to Margo. . .then gave Agnes a very serious look. "Furst. . .I want to ask _you_ something. Do you know the deeference between de truth, and a lie?"  
Agnes thought about it and nodded, "Uh-huh. . ."  
"Would you rather me tell you a lie? Or tell you de truth like a beeg gurl?"  
Again her innocent mind pondered that question, until she nodded. "The truth. . ."  
"Ok. . .well de truth is. . ." Now Gru hesitated just for a minute, then blurted, "He's _fake_, Agnes! He isn't real. And everyone dat you saw in de park dressed in a beeg suit, was exactly de same, and_very annoying_!" he barked out, until he noticed the sad expression on her face.  
Sighing heavily he shook his head. "But. . .I shouldn't have handled it de way I deed. And I'm sorry." He whispered, now grasping onto her little hand. "It's just dat. . .sometimes dis big unicorn steel wants to do his own ting. But. . .with you kittens around. . .eets just not de same. Just. . .don't give up on me. . .a'right?"  
Full of forgiveness, Agnes threw her arms around his neck. "_Never_. . ." she whispered, as he squeezed her close.


	8. Chapter 8

**Log Entry: June 191h, 2010  
10:30AM**

_"It turns out that Sea World is a lot bigger than I expected! The park has so many different attractions, that we didn't know where to start. They had aquariums where the girls could actually pet the dolphins and stingrays! A huge shark tank. . . .Which reminds me of a Nerd, who I will not mention! And a park where they can actually run around and play. But nooooo. . .instead, they see the two biggest roller coasters in the park, and want to ride! There is a big one called, "The Manta," with a million loops! Which is why I'm sitting here typing this instead! I'm not stupid! I may be able to take the force of gravity in a rocket. But the centripetal force of a roller coaster is too much for me! Still. . .in spite of Nephario rousing me over it. . .the girls understand. And he, Dave and Kevin are riding with them. The girls are happy, and that's all that matters. Maybe this will make up for the __**stupid**__ thing I done with Agnes! Hopefully. . .she'll forget everything that happened!"_

**About an hour later. . .At the Waterfront**

Walking up to the group with a huge tray of food, Gru set it all down on the table.  
"Aaalright. Two veggie burgers. . ." he stressed, as Dave and Kevin bobbed up and down, then quickly took their stuff. "Two chocolate shakes?"  
"Me. . .Me. . ._Mee_!" Edith and Agnes chimed, as he handed them each their drinks.  
"Three sodas. . ." he said, putting one down in front of himself, Margo, and Nephario.  
"Chicken Sandwich. . .mine. . .Two hamburgers. . .yours. . ." he said, putting them down in front of Edith and Agnes. "And. . .who ordered de fish sandwich?"  
"Me. . ." Margo replied, raising a hand up in the air.  
As she opened up the wrapper, Gru artfully peered at her. "You know, dat's _Shamu_ on a bun?"  
Knowing he was picking, Margo intentionally took a bite. "Yummy!" she said with a mouth full. "Want some?" Happy that she was playing around with him, Gru shook his head.  
"No tank you. I have some of _Beeg burd_ right here. . ." he mimed, as Agnes gave him an uncertain, but alarmed glance. "He's just kidding, Agnes. . ." Margo stressed, as Gru chuckled and took a bite. "Yup. . .Sorry. . ." he said, with a mouthful of food. "I just couldn't resest it. . ."  
As the group of them began to eat, a mascot dressed up in a Shamu suit spotted the girls, and waved. "_Hmph!_ And speak of de devil!" Gru peevishly muttered, as he now turned and headed straight for their table. At the same time, he could feel everyone's eyes on him, mainly Margo's. Reading his daughter like a book, Gru could feel the freezegun bulging inside his jacket. Even after the "_Mickey pop_," incident, he brought it anyway! But this time he was determined to resist all villainy impulses, and behave! And it wasn't just to prove it to the girls. But to himself as well!  
Rolling his eyes, Gru reached for his soda, watching as the stuffed pest now approached Agnes.  
"Well _helloooo_, little girl. How are you today?!" Just as Gru went to take a sip, Agnes looked at the Mascot and blurted out.  
"You're a _fake_! Go away!"  
As the others gasped and chuckled, Gru spewed cola all over the table. Clamping a hand over his mouth, he actually began choking. . .slapping his hand down on the arm of the chair. At the same time, Margo watched as the whale mascot threw his fluffy arms up into a shrug and walked away. Letting out a giggle, she choked out, "_Agnes_?!"  
Thereafter she looked at Gru, who by then was laughing so hard he could barely catch his breath. Reaching out, he weakly patted Agnes on top of the head.  
"Dat's my _guuurl_. . ." he giggled, as she proudly grinned at him. By then even Nephario had a big smirk on his face.  
"Oh, Gru. . .You're something else." he chuckled.  
"Hey! She knows de truth, and she's proud!" Through the snickering, he still gave her a playful peer. "Just don't get snotty about eet, Agnes! Be nice. You don't have to tell every mascot you see dat dere fake. . ." he said laughing again. "Believe me. . .dey know. . ."  
Shaking his head, Nephario mocked, "Another proud parent moment. . ."  
Thinking about it for a minute, Gru smiled and nodded, "You'd better beleeve it!"

When they got back to the hotel, Nephario watched as Margo shyly approached from the side, and stopped. At first he didn't acknowledge her, inwardly thinking that she was just there to get something. That is. . .until she cleared her throat loud enough for him to turn and look at her.  
"Yes?" he asked, as she fidgeted a bit. Cocking his head he said, "I won't bite, ya know. . ."  
"I know." she said, as he gave her a tiny smile. "I just. . .need to talk to you, alone. _Without_ Gru."  
"_Oh_?" he said, rather surprised. "Well. . .he's in our room right now with the laptop, talking to his mum. Come on. . ." he said, coming from around the counter. "We'll go on the balcony and talk. . .Away from all the ruckus. . ." Realizing he was indeed taking her very seriously, Margo nodded and followed him until they were alone on the balcony.  
Turning to her, Nephario folded his arms and said, "Now, young lady. What is it you want to discuss?"  
"Well. . .You know what tomorrow is, don't you?" Realizing what she meant, a very pleased smile crept over his face. Nodding, Nephario replied,  
"Yes, I surely do. And I take it that you have some sneaky intentions in mind?" Beginning to feel more and more comfortable around him, Margo smiled and said,  
"Well. . .Yeah. . . But. . .I can't do anything without your help."  
"So. . .what is it exactly that you want me to do?"

**June 20th, 2010  
Early the next morning:**

Inhaling deeply, Gru slowly stretched in bed. Gradually. . .his half closed eyes shifted to the alarm clock and widened when it read, 7:05am. This had him limply reaching for the clock. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Gru attempted to focus in on the alarm. . .shocked to find that it had been turned off. "Whaaa?" he groaned, with confusion. "I know I set dis. . ." Just when he was about to get up, the door slowly opened, and in emerged the three girls, and Nephario. . .who was pushing this huge cart of covered dishes to the side of his bed.  
"Mornin sleepyhead!" Agnes hollered, as she hopped on the bed, completely jumping over him until she was sitting on the other side. "Hi, pumpkeen. . ." he said, still rather muddled. "Uhh. . .What is dis?" he asked.  
"Special delivery, sir. . ."  
"Oh, you shouldn't have. . ." he playfully replied, as Nephario scoffed.  
"Not _me_, clown!" he said, as Gru began to chuckle. "This is compliments of your girls."  
"Awww. . .how nice. . .What's de occasion?" he asked, as Edith and Margo also crawled in the bed.  
"Don't ya know? It's _Fathers Day_. . ."  
For a minute, Gru was completely bewildered by Edith's announcement. Yet the more he thought about it. . .the more he realized, she was right! This had him leaning back against the headboard, staring straight ahead in a daze. "Ohhh. . .It sure is. . ." he said, looking at his three girls with deep admiration. "With everyting going on. . .I forgot. . ."  
As he stared off into space, Nephario cleared his throat.  
"Well. . .Apparently. . ._they_ didn't." Deeply moved over what his old friend had done for him, Gru nodded with deep appreciation. "Thanks. . ." he replied, as Nephario cracked a smile.  
As he walked out the door, Margo pulled a wrapped gift from behind her back. "This is for you. . ."  
"You're keeding me. . ." Gru chuckled, as Agnes excitedly began to jump up and down on the bed.  
"Open it! Open it!"  
"Ok. . .ok!" Gru playfully mocked, tearing the paper off the box until he was staring at a silver coffee mug. "Oh, wow. . ." he said, very impressed. "Dis is nice. . ."  
"Ya like it?!" Agnes excitedly asked.  
"Oh, I love eet. . ." he cooed, gently patting the side of her little face. "But wait a minute. Dis looks familiar."  
"Well, it should. . ." Margo playfully replied. "You saw me with it at Starbucks. . ." Gradually. . .Gru's eyes slowly began to widen over something that occurred to him.  
"Wait a minute. Are you telling me dat, _dis_ is why you got lost?"  
Now put on the spot, Margo timidly shrugged, "Well. . .yeah. But it was your Father's day Present. So. . . it was worth the trouble." Deeply overwhelmed, Gru could only shake his head with disbelief over what this child had truly gone through for him. Was there any need for questioning now, over how she really felt about him? He thought not! He was just about to say something, when Margo slowly turned the mug around just enough for him to read the tender phrase. "_Father of de year_?" He read, as she smiled and nodded.  
"Sure. You might be _Villain_ of the year." She deliberately stressed, as he chuckled with amusement. "But you'll always be Father of the year to us."  
Deeply touched, Gru could only stare down at the cup and shake his head. So moved by what she'd said, that tears began to gleam in his eyes. Seeing his upset reaction cause Margo to choke up as well. For as long as she'd been with Gru, she'd never seen him cry before. At least. . .not in front of her. Which made her realize just how insecure and scared he really was. Just like her. . . .But not anymore. Before Gru knew what was happening, Margo quickly went forward throwing her arms around his neck. Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he tightly closed his eyes and squeezed her so close. "Dats right. . .I _am_your dad. And dat will never change. Understand?" He asked in a high cracked voice.

"Yes. . ." Margo whispered, now beginning to cry herself.  
Sniffling, Gru opened his eyes just enough to catch the upset expressions on Edith and Agnes's little faces. Smiling through the tears he reached out, signaling for them to join the huddle. To which they did. As he embraced his little family close to him, Gru realized that from dis point on, things really were going to be different. And that anything else that would happen. . .whether it be good, or bad would not even equal up to today.

**Four days later. . .**

"Gram! We're home!" the girls all chimed, as they barged in and dropped their bags to the floor.

At that moment, they were all taken back to the familiar site that awaited them. For gone was the pink nightmare of a livingroom that they'd left behind. In it's place returned the crimson, silvery color scheme that they knew all too well. In fact, even Gru found himself frozen in the doorway, staring out at the familiar drab walkway that he'd loved so much. But not Edith. Disappointed that the pink wonderland was gone, she moaned, "Aww, man!"  
Giving her a playful leer, Gru mimed, "Aww man, _nothing_!"  
Just as Marlena and a handful of minions met them at the doorway.  
"Well hello, my leetle cherubs! I'm so glad to see you. . ." She cooed as they each gave her a hug, and a kiss on the cheek. Inwardly relieved to see him, Marlena smiled. "Welcome back, son. . ." Still transfixed over the redone makeover, Gru marveled down at her and asked, "Mom. . .what happened here?"  
Looking down at Tim, Mark, and Phil, she replied, "Ehhh. . .Let's just say dat I kept your boys a little busy while you were away. . ."  
"_Busy_?" Gru mimed, as they all grinned at him. "Dat's an understatement! Look at dis place! It's like nothing ever happened!"  
"Meaning you like it?"  
"Like it?!" Overwhelmed with gratitude, Gru just couldn't help himself. Before Marlena knew what was happening, he gently gripped her by the shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. "I _love_ it! Thanks mom!"  
Deeply touched over her sons affection, Marlena smiled. "Hah. . .You should go on vacation more often. . ."  
Chuckling Gru picked up his bags and continued to head with her and the others into the livingroom. "Yeeah, but dat won't be for a _long_ while. We spent enough money to last for _two_vacations!" Gru playfully mimed, noticing the way Margo smiled up at him. Recalling that special moment on "Fathers Day," Gru warmly smiled back at her and added, "But it was worth every dime. . ._Speaking_ of which. . .I have something for _yooou_. . ." he playfully cooed, as Dave quickly shouted, "Candy!"  
Now in an instant, the other minions eyes widened with excitement.  
"_Candy_?! Oooh, oooh, _oooh_!" Mark exclaimed, as they all began to jabber with excitement.  
"Hey! _Shhhh_!" Gru scolded, as Marlena began to chuckle. "I'm supposed to tell her, not you. . ."  
"Ditto. . ." Dave giggled, as he and Kevin grabbed their bags and headed for the living room. At the same time, the other minions were on their tail, interrogating them nonstop. "Di chi ha le candy? Di? Di?!"_(Whose got the candy? Who? Who?!) _  
"Boys!" he shouted, as they quickly turned back to him. "I don't want a mob! So don't tell de others about de candy just yet. I'll be down dere later on to let them know. A'right?"  
"K!" They shouted, hauling their bags into the transport shoot. As they zipped down, Marlena asked, "Candy?"  
"Well. . .Aside from yours. . .I bought the minions 100 lbs, at 100,000 pieces. Which means dat I'm gonna have to make 1000 bags with 10 pieces each! You know how long dats gonna take?"  
"I'll help. . ." Nephario said, also dragging his luggage to the transport chute. "As soon as I finish unpacking I'll come back. . ." Very appreciative, Gru nodded.  
"Thanks. . ."  
"Oooh, let me help too. . ." Margo asked out of the blue.  
"Oh. . .no, no. . .I don't want you staying up all night. . ." Gru gently chastised.  
"Please, dad? I really want to. . ." Out the corner of his eye, Gru caught the surprised expression on his mothers face. This in turn had him looking down at Margo, a pleased smirk crossing over his. "Well. . .I suppose it won't hourt just dis once. . ."  
Thrilled that he was treating her like an adult, Margo threw her arms around his waist. "Thank you!" she hollered, as he chuckled and patted her on the back.  
"A'right. . .a'right. . .Go unpack your stuff, and we'll do it later on tonight. . ." he said, as she grabbed her suitcase and hurriedly headed for their bedroom.  
Now gradually, Gru turned and faced Marlena, who playfully raised an eyebrow, as though to say, "I told you so. . ."  
"_Dad_?" she stressed, as he rolled his eyes and smirked.  
"Yes. She said it on Fathers day." he said, knowing he'd might as well tell her the truth. Sighing with defeat, Gru nodded. "You were right, mom. . ." he reluctantly admitted, as a pleased smile crept over her face. "You were right. I guess some things really are wourth waiting for. Because out of the entire vacation. . .Dat's one memory I'll never forget. . ."

"Nor will she, son." Marlena replied, as Gru nodded with satisfaction. "Nor will she."

The End. . .


End file.
